Insanity of Revan
by Hitokiri Akins
Summary: A dark tale of the Madness Revan deals after having to kill he woman he loves on the Star Forge. A Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic tale.
1. On the Way to Coruscant

Jake Katarn found himself in a room, completely white in all directions. The whiteness seemed to go on forever.

"_Revan."_ A voice said.

"Who said that?" Jake asked. He looked around, but didn't see anything.

"_Revan."_ The voice said again. "Show yourself, dammit!" Jake yelled out. He felt something on his shoulder, and spun around as quickly as he could. What he saw, however, was something he never expected.

There stood Bastila, the woman he had killed on the Star Forge, who he had loved more than life itself. "Bastila? Am I dreaming? Are you real?" Jake said, confused at the development.

"Yes, Revan, this is a dream, and yes, I am real. My spirit has attached itself to you. I am with you, and I always will be," Bastila said.

"But why?" Jake said. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he was determined to find out.

"I could not leave you alone, Revan. Not with so many of our enemies still alive." Bastila said, in a soothing tone.

"The Sith. I'll never forgive those bastards for what they did to you. But what do you expect me to do?" Jake said.

"Hunt them down like the dogs they are. They deserve their fate, each and every one of them!" Bastila said, her tone turning to anger.

"Yes, and I'll make sure they pay for what they did to us! I'll kill them all, Dark Jedi and foot soldier alike!" Jake said, rage filling him.

Bastila smiled. "Yes Revan. We must destroy everyone who has wronged us. We'll show them what happens to those cross Revan and Bastila!"

And then Jake woke up. Unsure of what his dream meant, he put his clothes on, and headed toward the cockpit, when he heard Bastila's voice again. _"Though it was a dream, Revan, what I said was true. I am with you, always."_

Jake looked around, but knew he heard her voice. _With me always, huh? Well, if this'll get me some revenge, than I'll take it, any way I can!_

Jake walked to the cockpit, and found Carth waiting there. "Hey Jake, what's up?" Carth said. He looked at Jake, and said, "Man, you look like hell. Have a hard time sleeping?"

"Oh yeah," Jake said with a sigh. "I dreamt about Bastila, Carth."

"I'm sorry Jake, I know how much she meant to you," Carth said, with sorrow in his voice.

"No you don't Carth! You don't know anything about what Bastila means to me!" Jake snapped at Carth.

"Calm down Jake. Getting mad at me doesn't solve anything," Carth said.

"You're right Carth. It's just…if it hadn't been for those damn Sith, she'd still be alive. If Malak hadn't captured her on the Leviathan, she'd still be here, and she'd still be alive!" Jake said with righteous anger in his voice. It's better to get angry with the Sith.

"But Malak's dead, Jake. The cause of your anger is gone," Carth said, trying to calm down his friend.

"It's not enough. It doesn't make me feel any better." Jake said.

Carth stared at Jake in disbelief. "So, what are you going to do?" he asked, trying to grasp what his friend was going through.

"I don't know. Not yet." Jake sighed. "Look Carth, I really don't want to talk about this anymore. How far from Corusant are we?"

"Couple more hours," Carth said, willing to let the subject go, for now.

"Well, I need to talk to Canderous before we touch down. Talk to you later Carth," Jake said, heading back toward the swoop bike bay.

"Later," Carth said.

_That didn't seem like the Jake Katarn I became friends with. That was way out of character for him. What's going on inside his head?_

"Hey Canderous!" Jake yelled out when he saw him.

"Yeah, what do you want?" Canderous said, in his usual tone.

"I've got a proposition for you. How would you like to get some more worthy battles?" Jake said.

"I don't know. What are you proposing?" Canderous said, curious.

"Well, when the Jedi Council is done parading me around as their hero, I'm going to leave the Order. And then, I'm going to hunt down every last Sith I can find. Common soldier, Dark Jedi, it doesn't matter. Doesn't the thought make your Mandalorian blood boil, Canderous? Worthy battles for the remainder of your days," Jake said.

"Sounds good to me. Who else will be coming?" Canderous asked.

"Well, the droids, because they belong to me, you and myself. Jolee and Juhani wouldn't want to join in on this hunt, mostly because it would 'bring them dangerously close to the dark side.' Zalbaar has things that he needs to do on Kashyyyk, and Mission drives me up the friggin' wall. And Carth, well, he's not about to leave the Republic fleet just to help me get our revenge," Jake said.

"Our revenge?" Canderous said, unsure of what Jake meant.

"Mine and Bastila's. She attached her spirit to me, Canderous. Remember Ajunta Pall, and how he anchored his spirit to his tomb? Well, it seems that Bastila did something similar, but instead of anchoring herself to a place, she anchored herself to a person. Me."

"If you say so Revan," Canderous said, shrugging it off. "We'll need supplies, and I know where we can get them."

"Good. As soon as we're done with Coruscant, we'll head out there," Jake said. "I have no doubt in my mind that they're going to parade us around as heroes, almost as soon as we touch down."

Canderous rolled his eyes. "No doubt. And we're going to hunt Sith, huh?"

Jake's face went dark. "Yep."

"Good." Canderous said. "They're strong opponents, both Dark Jedi and foot soldier, and well worthy of my skills."

"I figured that you'd agree. You alone are the only one who can take on a Dark Jedi and win, without being Force sensitive," Jake said, smiling. "Well, I'm going to see if I can get some more sleep before touching down on Coruscant. We'll talk more when the Republic and the Jedi are done with us."

"Yeah. See you in a few hours, Revan," Canderous said as Jake walked back to his bunk


	2. Leaving the Order

Jake's hunch was right. For two weeks after landing on Corusant, the Republic and Jedi paraded Jake and his crew around for the people. And for a week afterwards, Jake was brought before the young Jedi, as the perfect example of a redeemed Jedi. After three weeks, Jake finally got his chance to speak to the Jedi council. And in his mind, they had a lot to answer for.

"Hey there, kid. You here to see the council?" a familiar voice said as Jake entered the Jedi temple. Jake turned around, and there stood the old man he respected the most.

"Jolee!" Jake said, a huge smile coming over his face. He walked over to the old man, and gave him a huge bear hug. "So, I heard you not only re-joined the Jedi, but accepted promotion to Jedi Master! Is that true?" Jake asked.

"Yeah, it's true. I figured I could do more for the Jedi as a Master then I could sitting in my home on Kashyyyk." Jolee paused for a moment. "What about you? I heard a rumor that you plan on leaving the Jedi. Zat true?"

"Yeah it's true," Jake said, his head drooping down.

"Can I ask why?" Jolee asked.

"Sure." Jake said, sighing. "It all has to do with Bastila, and my inability to save her. I deserve every punishment and more for not being able to save her, and I highly doubt the Jedi council will deal me the fate I deserve."

Jolee stared at Jake for a moment, trying to find the right thing to say. "You know Jake; you pulled me out of my self imposed hell that I was living in after the war with Exar Kun," he said, putting his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "I just want you to know that you've got friends that are willing to help you when you need it."

"Thank you Jolee. I appreciate it," Jake said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get to the council chamber. I'm sure they are waiting for me."

"Jedi Jake Katarn, the council is ready for you." A young padawan said to Jake. He had been waiting outside the chamber for over an hour before being called into the chamber. He understood that the council was busy, and they were taking time out of their day to speak with him, but he was a little irritated by being told to wait after receiving a "come as quickly as you can" message at his hotel. Jake entered the council chambers, noting Master Vandar was sitting there, being the only face he recognized.

"Jedi Knight Jake Katarn, you have been called to the council chambers because you wished to speak with us," a master said to him.

"Indeed I do masters." Jake said, taking a deep breath. Here goes. He thought. "You all know my tale of how I destroyed the Star Forge, along with Darth Malak."

"Indeed we have Jake. But what does that have to do with why you are here before us today?" an Aqualish Master asked.

"It has everything to do with it Master. As Juhani and Jolee have probably told already, we met Bastila on the roof of the Rakatan Temple. We fought her, and she fled to the Star Forge, but only after tempting me to join her," Jake sighed. "I resisted the temptation then masters, but sometimes I wish I hadn't."

The masters were dumbfounded. It was Master Vandar who finally spoke up. "And why do you feel this way Jake?" he asked.

"As you know, Master Vandar, there was a Force bond between us, but it was more than that." Jake said. He lowered his head. "I loved her masters, and I knew that she loved me. Her death as affected me, and more so then I originally thought it would."

"And these are reasons why we have rules against love," a Twi'lek master said.

The sadness left Jake's face, replaced with bitterness as he looked up at the Twi'lek master. "Bastila's love for me and my love for her is what kept me from falling to the Dark Side. And the thought of rescuing her from Malak is what kept me going after she got captured!"

"Calm yourself Jake." Master Vandar coaxed.

Jake sighed. "I'm sorry masters; I guess there's still a lot of anger and bitterness inside me. I guess I just need time away from the Jedi Order, to sort out my feelings. That's why I need to leave the Order. At least for the time being," he said.

"And there is no way to dissuade you from doing this?" Master Vandar asked.

"No. I'm sorry Master, but there is no other way," Jake said.

"Very well. But know that you can return to us at any time, when ever you are ready," a human master said.

"Thank you masters. And now I shall take my leave." Jake said.

He turned and walked to the door, as Master Vandar spoke up. "Good luck young Knight, and may the Force be with you."

Canderous sat in the cantina, waiting for Jake to meet him. After being paraded around for a 2 weeks, he finally got some time away from the limelight. And he was bored. _So, when do we get to see this action you promised me, Revan? When do we get to these worthy battles?_

"Bored yet, Canderous?" Said a voice that came from begin him. He turned around, and Jake Katarn, the man also known as Revan, the greatest warrior the galaxy has every known, stood behind him.

"Revan. So the Jedi are done parading you around, I take it?" Canderous said, with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, it's done," Jake said, sitting down at the bar. "So how soon can the Hawk be ready?"

"The Hawk's been ready for about 3 days," Canderous said, sipping on his ale.

"Really?" Jake said, with surprise in his voice.

"Yes, I got bored a few days ago, and had droids help me load it up. It's all prepped, fueled up and ready to go at any moment."

"Good. So tell me Canderous, where's the best place to get supplies with no questions asked?" Jake asked, after ordering a drink. Tarisian ale. Jake thought when he got his drink. _Taris. Where I first met Bastila. Damn those Sith! If it hadn't been for those bastards, she'd still be alive!_

Canderous thought for a moment before answering. "Mykr. It's an out of the way planet, as well as smuggler's den. Perfect place to get supplies without a lot of questions," Canderous said.

"I take it you've been there," Jake said, sipping at his drink.

"Once or twice during the Mandalorian Wars. We couldn't exactly get supplies through normal channels like the Republic could, so we dealt with whoever would sell to us," Canderous said, with a smile on his face, and memories of worthy battles in his head.

Jake looked at Canderous and smiled too. "Then we head to Mykr first."

Back in his hotel room, Jake began to pack. "So we're heading to Mykr first?" Bastila said, taking a visible form.

"Yeah. Going for weapons, blaster packs, droid armor and other essentials," Jake said. "It's an out of the way world, where the neither the Republic nor the Sith hold any sway."

"Do the others know?" Bastila asked.

"I haven't seen them that often since I got paraded around by myself." Jake said. "So they don't know?" Bastila asked.

"No, and I'd prefer they didn't. They'd all try to stop us Bastila. Juhani and Jolee would pull the whole 'calm down. Use the Jedi Code.' crap, and Carth would tell me, from experience, that revenge won't make me feel better. Zalbaar has things to do on Kashyyyk. And even though you liked Mission, and thought of her as a little sister, she drove me up the wall. I tried to be sympathetic towards her and brother, but even you saw that Griff was scum!" Jake said, staring right at Bastila.

"So it's just you, Canderous and the droids?" she asked.

"Yeah." Jake said, resuming his packing.

"Good. Though I would prefer it just you and I." Bastila said.

Jake looked at Bastila, dumbfounded. "Honey, I can't fly the Hawk on my own, and I need Canderous' connections with the underworld. You saw how useful T3 was on Taris, and he was indispensable on Manaan. And HK….That droid's abilities speaks for them self. I mean, he's an assassin droid Bastila…That I built! And he's more than proved himself capable in our travels!"

Bastila just smiled. "Your anger is good Revan. It will give you the power you need to exact our revenge!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. "What is it HK?" Jake snapped at the door.

"Statement: The feline meatbag wishes to speak with you, Master," the droid said.

"Juhani," Jake said under his breath. "Alright HK, let her in," Jake said, finishing packing.

Juhani walked into the room, unsure what to expect. Jake had drastically changed after the battle on the Star Forge. Instead of the happy, joking fun loving man she had come to know, he had become quiet and withdrawn, with a constant desire to be alone. "I need to sort out my feelings." he had told her. But there was more he wasn't telling her. She could something had changed about him, something important, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Jake?" Juhani said.

"In the bedroom. Come on back," Jake said. "Sit down." Jake said, closing his bag. "So, what's up?"

He seems so calm. Juhani thought. Was I imagining things before? "I heard that, though you accepted you promotion to Jedi Knight, you are leaving the order. Why?" she asked him.

Jake's expression turned cold. _Boy, news travels fast,_ he thought. "Well, promoting us to Jedi Knight was the least the order could do for us. As for leaving it, I have my reasons. And no, I'm not going to talk about it!"

It was at the moment that Juhani realized that her hunch three weeks earlier was right. "Jake, I fear for your sanity. You've been through so much. We could help you," Juhani said, with worry all over her face.

Jake sighed. He sat down next to her, and said, "Juhani, I don't expect you to understand, but I have to do this. It may not be the right choice to make, but it's the choice that I've made, and I'm going to follow through with it."

Juhani lowered her head. "Just promise me something Jake. Promise me that we will stay friends, no matter what," she said, with tears in her eyes.

Jake looked at her for a moment. _I never realized it until now, but she has a crush on me._ Jake thought. _She probably doesn't realize it herself_. "Of course, Juhani. No matter what happens to me, I promise I will always be your friend." Jake stood up and picked his bag off his bed. "Well, I need to get going. Canderous is meeting me at the Ebon Hawk, and I don't want to keep him waiting."

"Thank you Jake." Juhani said as she left the hotel room. _And I'd better get out of here before anyone else comes here._ Jake thought as he picked up his bag.

Jake looked around the landing bay, and was surprised there were no reporters in site. T3-M4 rolled down the ramp, greeting its owner. T3 beeped at Jake, and Jake chuckled. "Yes, I'm ready to go T3. Come on, I'm sure Canderous is waiting." Jake said as he walked up the loading ramp.

The first thing that Revan saw upon entering the Ebon Hawk was HK-47, excitedly waiting for his master.

"Greeting: Hello Master, are you ready to leave?" HK-47 said, with excitement in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm ready HK. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but was that excitement in your voice I heard?" Jake said, grinning.

"Agreement: Yes master. I am eager to get away from the peace of Corusant and to a place where I get to terminate some meatbags for you," HK said.

_Still as bloodthirsty as ever._ Jake thought, as he walked toward the cockpit. "Well, you'll get plenty of chances. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to head to the cockpit."

"You ready Canderous?" Jake said upon reaching the cockpit.

"Yeah, I'm ready. But before we go, I have to make sure this is what you want to do." Canderous said, sitting in the pilot seat.

_I wish I knew Canderous_. Jake thought, thinking of what has happened to him in the last few months. "This is the choice I've made Canderous, for better or worse. And I'm going through with it."

"All right, I've got the coordinates for Mykr set in, so as soon as we leave Corusant's atmosphere, I'll hit the hyperdrive and we'll be on our way," Canderous said, looking down at the controls.

"All right then. Let's go." Jake said, strapping himself in the co-pilot's seat.

A few minutes later, the Ebon Hawk was cruising in hyperspace, and Jake unstrapped himself from the co-pilot's seat. "Well, I'm going to head back to the sleeping quarters I claimed, change and unpack my stuff. I should be back in about 20 minutes." Jake said as he stood up. He picked up his bag and headed to his quarters.


	3. Trip to Mykr

"So we're on our way to Mykr now?" Bastila said, as she took on a visible form.

"Yeah," Jake said as he slid his Jedi Robe off his shoulders. "Know anything about that planet?"

"No more than Canderous. Less, actually. I didn't even know there was a smuggler's haven there," Bastila said. "What are you doing?Why are you changing out of your Jedi robes?"

"I don't want to represent the Order as I am, Bastila," Jake said, putting on his boots. "And besides, it's not a good idea to walk around in Jedi robes on a planet of smugglers and cutthroats. And I'm going to need armor while I'm there," Jake said as he slid a shirt over Exar Kun's armor.

"Ah, your clothes that you wore when on the Endar Spire," Bastila said, smiling.

"Yeah, but it won't exactly hide my lightsaber very well." Jake said, as he searched through their gear. "Ah, here it is." Jake said, picking up a long coat. "Calo Nord's coat." Jake said, putting the coat on. "This'll hide it quite well, though I prefer black." He turns to Bastila. "How do I look?"

Bastila shook her head. "Ridiculous," she said.

Jake looked in the mirror. "Yeah, I do look pretty stupid. Guess I need better clothes for this trip. Something like what Canderous wore on Taris," he said.

Bastila lowered her head. "Taris." She said under her breath. "I was such a bitch to you on Taris, Revan. I don't know how you could stand me."

How Jake wanted to hold her, to console her, to let her know that everything would be all right. But he couldn't. Not after the Star Forge, where he took away one of life's greatest pleasures away from the woman he loves…the experience of touch. Anger swelled in both of them, at those that caused their pain, the Sith, and to a lesser extent, the Jedi. The Sith, for taking Bastila away from Jake, and the Jedi for not allowing their love, forcing Bastila to suppress her feelings for him, and tormenting her by not allowing her to tell Jake the truth.

Jake sighed. "I'm sorry Bastila. I should have accepted your offer. Malak would still be dead, and I would have you, alive."

"You did what you thought was right Revan." Bastila said, putting her ghostly arm around Jake. "Unfortunately, that's the problem with hindsight."

Jake shivered. "Your arm…..it's cold." He tried to grab her hand, but his passed through hers. Tears welled up around his eyes. "You know, the worst part about this is that you can touch me, but I can't touch you."

Now it was Bastila's turn to sigh. "It is true that I can touch you, but I can feel nothing! My body is an intangible as the air we breathe!" Bastila fumed.

Jake sighed. "Yeah, both our lives suck. Look, I need to get to the map room. Canderous is waiting there. I need him to fill me in on Mykr as he can." Jake said as he walked for the door.

Jake walked out to command deck, plopping down into one of the chairs, and propping his feat onto the map table. Canderous, who was sitting in the other chair, shook his head. "You know, you look ridiculous in that coat," he said.

"And so did Calo Nord when he wore it." Jake shot back. "But it's the best way to hide my lightsaber." Jake rolled his eyes. "Don't worry; I plan on getting one that fits me a lot better when we get to Mykr."

Jake pulled his feat off the table. "So, what's Mykr like?" he asked.

"Well, it's a got a densely covered forest surface, hiding the activity from casual observers in space. It has many dangerous animals, but they should pose no problem if we don't go into the forest." Canderous said.

"What about the space port? The closest town? What are they like?" Jake asked.

Canderous stifled a laugh. "Mykr is uninhabited except for smugglers, Revan. Most of the facilities are underground."

"Ah." Was all Jake could say. _Looks like I ain't getting clothes here._

Almost as if he could sense what Jake was thinking, Canderous spoke up. "Don't worry Revan, we're heading to the largest encampment. The only one with its facilities above ground."

Jake released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "I take it this is a large base?"

Canderous couldn't help but laugh this time. "This'll have everything you want Revan." He said, look at the way Jake was dressed. "Including new clothes."

"Heh." Jake said, grinning. "Yeah, something that fits my new life."

"You know Revan, I've been meaning to ask you. Why do you want to do this? Why do you want to hunt down the Sith?" Canderous asked, sitting back down.

Jake got irritated. " I already told you. I want revenge on the Sith for what they've done to Bastila and me." Jake snorted.

Canderous leaned forward, almost getting in Jake's face. "Cut the crap Revan! I know there's more to it than that!"

"Yeah, there's more to it than that." Jake said with a sigh. "I need time to come to terms with what's happened to me, as well as what I've done and learned. And I'm not talking about what I did before the memory wipe. Finding out I was Darth Revan, loosing Bastila on the Leviathan, and then having to KILL HER, that all did quite a number on my mind. And, I find out that Bastila used the Force to latch herself to me, heh, that's a lot to grasp." Jake propped his legs on the map table again. "Canderous, you are the only one who accepted me, regardless of my past."

"It's that past that helped me accept you Revan. You are …" Canderous said before being cut off.

"….the single greatest warrior this galaxy has ever known. I defeated Mandalore in single combat, routing the Mandalorian clans, giving you the greatest battle that will be remembered for centuries." Jake shook his head. "Yeah, I've heard you tell me this before." He sighed. "My point is, you're the only one that won't judge me now that Bastila's gone."

Canderous stood up. "Well, I need to get my armor on and my weapons ready before landing. We should get to Mykr in about 6 hours," Canderous said. He headed toward his quarters, leaving Jake alone with his thoughts.

Juhani sat on the roof of the Jedi Temple, staring at the stars. "Where are you Jake Katarn?" she thought as she stared blankly at the sky. She thought about all that had happened to her since meeting Jake, and what's become of who she is. How he found her in the grove, and brought her back to the light. How he selflessly helped people along their journey, giving them credits, repairing droids, helping struggling swoop riders…the list went on and on. Even after he found out he was Revan, the man who's team of Jedi saved her from slavery, and eventually became the Dark Lord of the Sith, he still did all he could do to help people.

Yuthura Ban stood at the roof entrance for moment, waiting for the right moment to approach her. She stood there, wondering what was going through the Cathar's head. When Juhani bowed her head, Yuthura made her move. _It's now or never._ She thought as she walked over to Juhani.

"Hello Juhani," came a voice behind Juhani. Juhani was startled. She hadn't sensed another presence on the roof. She turned around to see who the voice was.

"Yuthura!" she said, surprised at the face she saw. "I thought you died in the attack on Dantooine!"

Yuthura smiled. "Of all the people on Dantooine, I knew the Sith best, after being with them for many years. I was one of the first to feel the darkness, other than Master Vandar, and recognize it as the Sith, and worked as fast as I could to evacuate as many people as we could." Yuthura paused for a moment. "Actually, Master Vandar and I were on the last transport to get away."

Juhani got up a faint smile. "I supposed that makes sense," Juhani sighed. "What do you want Yuthura?"

"Actually, I'm a little worried about you Juhani." Yuthura said, sitting down. "Ever since Jake left, you've not been yourself. Do you wish to talk?"

Juhani mentally sighed. "Why are you so concerned?" she asked Yuthura.

"Juhani, Jake means a lot to both of us. He redeemed me, a former Sith Master, and saved you twice. Once from slavery, once from the Dark Side. We are not as unalike as you would think, Juhani," Yuthura said.

"What do you mean?" Juhani said, confused.

"I was a slave Juhani, just as you were. But though you were saved from a life of servitude by Jake, I spent years under a cruel master on Sleyheron. Wounds like that may scab over, but they never truly heal, as you can attest as well," Yuthura said.

Juhani nodded in agreement.

"And like you, I desire to end slavery in the galaxy," Yuthura said. "Look, if you don't feel like talking, I'll leave, but know that if you need an ear, I'll listen."

"Stay," Juhani said. "I guess I need to get this off my mind." Juhani shifted her position, so she was facing Yuthura. "I'm worried about Jake, Yuthura. I'm worried about his mental state. I spoke to him before he left, and he was different, wrong."

"You think he's fallen to the Dark Side?" Yuthura asked.

"No, not yet. I spoke to him before he left, and he wasn't himself." Juhani said.

"What do you mean, 'wasn't himself'?" Yuthura asked, confused.

"I mean he wasn't acting like Jake Katarn. He wasn't himself. He wasn't the man I came to know and respect throughout our journey," Juhani said. "He wasn't acting like Revan either."

"I see." Yuthura said. "I read about Jedi losing their identity and going insane over time, becoming a mockery of what they once were."

Juhani shifted uneasily. "So what can we do?" she asked.

"There's not much we can do Juhani. All we can do is trust in the Force, and hope Jake finds himself again," Yuthura said, standing up. "Well, I need to get some sleep before I begin my training again tomorrow. The masters think that I can attain Knighthood soon, with the wisdom I acquired as a Sith master."

Juhani smiled. "You'll do find Yuthura. Good night, and may the Force be with you."

Jake must have fallen asleep, because the next thing we knew T3 was beeping at him to wake up.

"What the…" Jake said, still groggy.

T3 whistled angrily at Jake. "We're ready to come out of Hyperspace? How long have I been out?" Jake asked, still confused. T3 beeped again.

"6 HOURS_ Shabla!_ I need to get up to the cockpit." Jake said as he got up and ran to the cockpit.

Jake ran to the cockpit, where Canderous was waiting for him. "I was wondering when you were going to wake up," he said, still looking at the controls.

"Well, then why the hell didn't you wake me up!" Jake said as he sat down in the copilot's chair.

"You haven't slept well since the Star Forge, Revan, and you need to be at the best condition when we land on Mykr," Canderous said, looking up from the controls.

"Meh. I can use the Force to fill my cells with energy, so I'm not worried," Jake said, voice filled with confidence.

"If you say so Revan," Canderous said, looking back down at the console. "I need to transmit a code to the base, or we'll get shot down the moment we descend into the atmosphere. So I need you to be quiet so I can concentrate."

"Sure," Jake said.

As the Ebon Hawk descended inside the planet's atmosphere, a wave of exhaustion came over Jake. He tried reaching out to the Force, but nothing happened. Exhaustion overtook him, and he blacked out.

Canderous heard a loud thud next to him, and when he looked over, Jake was passed out on the floor. "Revan!" he yelled as he started the descent. "HK, get up here!"

"Query: What do you want meatbag?" the droid said as it walked up to the cockpit.

"Your master is passed out on the floor! Now hurry up!" Canderous shouted.

"Statement: If you've done anything to my master, meatbag, I'll tear you limb from useless limb!" the droid said, with anger in its voice.

"I didn't do anything to Revan you worthless scrap heap! Now get him out of here and into his bed. I've got to finish landing this ship!" Canderous yelled at the droid.

"Compliance: Very well meatbag, I will do as you command, but only for the sake of the Master," HK-47 said as he picked up Jake, and headed toward his quarters.

Jake awoke in his bed on the Ebon Hawk._ Strange_, Jake thought. _I know Canderous is here, but I can't sense him at all! What's going on!_ He threw off his covers, looking around frantically. "Canderous? HK? Where are you?" Jake yelled.

Canderous walked up the ramp and headed back to Jake's sleeping quarters, and when he saw him awake, he spoke. "Ah, so you're up. I got a little worried when you passed out in the cockpit, but since you're awake, I guess everything must be fine."

Jake was still frazzled. He tried reaching out to the Force, to find Bastila so she could console him, but something was wrong. Not only could he not find Bastila, but he couldn't feel the Force. "No, something's wrong!" Jake said, with fear in his voice. "Canderous, I can't feel the Force!"

Canderous looked at Jake, a puzzled look on his face. "You were without the Force on Taris as well, so I wouldn't worry about it."

"No Canderous, I couldn't CONTROL the Force on Taris, but I could feel its presence. Here," Jake said, panting," I don't even feel its presence. It's almost if something is blocking the Force me!"

Canderous was a little worried. "Are you sure about this Revan? This better not be some sick joke!" he said.

"DO I LOOK LIKE I'M JOKING CANDEROUS! THIS IS FRACKING SERIOUS!" Jake shouted.

"Is it really that bad Revan?" Canderous asked.

Jake was breathing heavy. "Canderous, you're not Force sensitive, so you don't know what it's like. It's like I've been struck blind, deaf and dumb like that." Jake said, snapping his fingers. "And on top of that, more than half of my combat capabilities are gone Canderous!" Jake shouted.

"Query: Is there anything I could do to make you feel better? Perhaps I could slaughter the entire base for you?" HK-47 asked, hoping for a positive answer.

Jake was filled with rage. "Listen HK, you don't act until I tell you to, do you understand?" Jake shouted at the droid. "Just because I lost my connection to the Force doesn't mean I can't dismantle you if I wanted."

"Calm down Revan!" Canderous said, shaking Jake. "No matter what's going on, you've got no reason to be shouting."

Jake, still breathing hard, sighed. "You're right Canderous, you're right." Canderous let go of Jake, and he sat down.

"Look, as long as we're on this planet, I'm going to be like this, so here's the deal. Canderous will do the talking, and I'll do my best stay calm. HK, I want you by my side at all times. But don't kill anyone unless I say so! T3, I want you find another place like this, without the Force bloc,." Jake said, with a monotone tone.

T3 beeped inquisitively at Jake. "I don't know! I highly doubt that any other planet you choose will be a Force void like this place is!" Jake yelled. "I'm sorry T3, I shouldn't have snapped at you."

Jake stood up. "I need to get me some clothes before I totally freak out. Let's get going. And Canderous, please get your contacts to load the ship as quickly as possible. I NEED to get off this planet," Jake said.

"No problem Revan. Let's go." Canderous said.

And so Jake Katarn, Canderous Ordo, HK-47 and T3-M4 walked down the loading ramp, all hoping that Jake could hold on until they were ready to leave.


	4. Return to Republic Space

"Canderous! Good to see you again!" A voice said as the group left the Ebon Hawk.

"Huxley! Haven't seen you for 5 years. How's the smuggling business coming along?" Canderous said, shaking his contact's hand.

Suddenly, two creatures started growling at Jake. They began lunging at him, and only their chain leashes were holding back. Jake drew his blaster and aimed it as the forehead of one of those creatures. "What the hell are these things?" Jake yelled, his finger twitching on the trigger.

"I don't understand! The Vornskrs aren't supposed to be this aggressive after their tails are cut off!" The handler said, barely able to hold the vornskr back.

Jake pulled the trigger, instantly killing the vornskr it was aimed at. "Well, it you don't get it under control, the other one is going to die!" He yelled at the other handler.

"Hold on there!" Huxley said, purposefully moving toward Jake. "Tell me boy, are you Force sensitive?"

"And what difference does that make?" Jake snapped.

"These things specialize in hunting Force sensitives. In fact, their favorite prey, the ysalmirli, has this strange ability to block the Force." Huxley said.

_Well, that explains a lot._ Jake thought as he holstered his blaster.

"And how do you know all this?" Canderous asked.

"One of our regulars is Force sensitive, and she deals with this every time she comes here." Huxley said, in a matter-of-fact tone.

_So I'm even more helpless here than I thought._ Jake thought. He took to the rear with HK 47.

"HK, if one of those things even looks at me odd, I want you to kill it. Understand?" Jake whispered.

"Statement: Of course Master. I will do as you command.  
Query: And what of the other meatbags? Should I do the same as well?" HK-47 asked.

Jake growled at HK-47. "No HK, the only things you kill without my permission are the vornskrs! Do you understand!"

"Statement: Yes master. I will only kill what you say." The droid resigned.

As time went on, Jake became more and more deranged. In the first few days, Jake became irritable. He snapped at anyone who looked at him wrong. But in that time, while he was still in control of himself, he was able to buy the supplies he wanted. He got boots with built in vibroblade sheaths, and vibroblades to go with them. He got cargo pants, solid color t-shirts and vest to hold med packs and blaster pack, and last, to hide his lightsaber, he bought a full length black leather coat.

But, as time went on, Jake began to loose control. He killed every vornskr he saw, and threatened to kill anyone who looked at him wrong. And after a week, in his already messed up state and adding to the fact that he was cut off from the Force, he locked himself in the room he was given, and refused to speak to anyone besides his crew. He spent most of his time shivering, plotting, and slowly descending into madness. After 2 weeks of this, it was finally time to go.

"Revan, you there?" Canderous said after being let into the room by HK-47.

Jake, sitting on his bed with his knees up in his chest, looked up. "C-Canderous? Is th-that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. The Ebon Hawk is ready to fly. It's time to go." Canderous said.

"Thank the F-F-Force!" Jake said as he stood up.

"Were you trembling?" Canderous asked.

"Yeah." Jake said as he walked to the door. "I'm having Force withdrawal, Canderous. And with how strong in the Force I am, I think the withdrawal is greater." Jake said, panting. "Now come on, let's get off this world."

As Jake and Canderous neared the ship, Jake spoke up. "Canderous, I can't sit up in the cockpit."

"Why not? What's wrong?" Canderous asked from halfway up the ramp.

"What's wrong? LOOK AT ME CANDEROUS! I can't stop shaking! I can't think straight! If I touch something that I shouldn't in this state, I could crash the Ebon Hawk!" Jake said, panting.

Canderous sighed. "All right Revan, you can sit in your quarters, but once you feel better, I want you up front with me, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it." Jake said as he entered the ship.

Jake sat on his bed, in the same position that Canderous found him in, during the take off. As the Ebon Hawk left Mykr's atmosphere, Jake felt a wave come over him. He reached out, and felt Canderous' presence. The Force was with him again. And more importantly, so was Bastila.

"Revan! Revan, can you hear me!" Bastila desperately cried.

"Bastila!" Jake yelled.

"You can hear me? Oh Revan!" Bastila said, leaping into his arms.

Jake's face turned from relief to depression. He still couldn't touch her, and her touch was still cold as ice. Bastila realized this too, and immediately let go.

"I'm sorry Revan. I've forgotten…" Bastila said, trailing off.

"I know Bastila. You're as relieved to see me as I am to see you. I would have run to you if you hadn't done so first." Jake said with a sigh.

"You have no idea what it was like Revan. I felt like I was trapped. I couldn't contact anyone. I was trapped in a void." Bastila said, a shiver going down her spine as she spoke.

"I hadn't thought of how Mykr would affect a person who owes her existent entirely to the Force. I bet you were driven as mad as I was, maybe more so, because you had no one you could talk to." Jake said, attempting to put his arm around her, but stops when he realizes when he's doing. Jake groaned. He still wasn't used to Bastila's touchless existence. He cried out, dropping violently onto his bed.

"What's wrong Revan?" Bastila asked.

"This…existence of yours. It's driving me insane! I can't touch you, I can't hold you, I can't show you how much I love you." Jake said, sighing. "And words are never enough."

Jake smiled. "I mean, I use the word 'love' for things like food, my lightsaber and many other things. Just saying 'I love you' isn't enough. But I don't know any better words."

Jake sighed as Bastila sat on his bed. Bastila slid her cold hand into his, and Jake looked at her with sorrow in his eyes. "And I'm even deprived of the warmth of touch."

This time, it was Bastila's turn to sigh. "At least you can feel my cold hands, Revan. You are incapable of touching me. That hurts worse than a cold touch ever could."

Jake dropped his head. "Look, I can't talk about this anymore, and Canderous asked me to come to the cockpit when I felt better." Jake said, getting up. "Let's go."

"How ya feelin' Revan?" Canderous asked when Revan entered the cockpit.

"Better. Now that the Force is with me, I'm once again in control of myself." Jake said as he sat down in the co-pilot's chair. "So where to next?"

"That's your choice Revan." Canderous said, leaning back in his chair.

Jake leans forward. "Then we head to the Rakatan home world. I'm sure that we can get information on conquered worlds from that computer in the temple."

"Why do we need that information?" Canderous asked, still leaning back in his chair.

"We'll need safe places to set up camp, and I'm sure we'll find a few outside Sith and Republic space." Jake said.

**Three years later**

"Unidentified vessel, this is Hapes control, please identify yourself." Leira Sharkben, the Hapes docking officer, said. The ship that she scanned was a Corellian frigate made specifically for cargo hauling, but didn't have a registration code she recognized. She sat there, awaiting a response.

"This is Jedi Knight Jake Katarn of the Ebon Hawk requesting landing clearance." A voice came over the comm.

_Jedi Knight?_ Leira thought. _Must have commandeered the ship on his journey._ "Well Jedi Katarn, you have clearance to land. Do you need directions to the Jedi Enclave?" Leira asked.

"No thanks, I know where it is." The voice on the comm said.

"Very well, Jedi Katarn. Enjoy your time on Hapes." Leira said, returning to her duties.

On the Ebon Hawk, Jake Katarn let out a chuckle. "I guess the inner rim still doesn't know what we've done."

"Well, they'll know soon enough." Canderous said as he began the landing sequence.

Jake smiled. "And we'll give them a show they won't soon forget." Jake got up out of the co-pilot's chair. "I'm heading to the back to get the droids ready. After that, I'm going to get my weapons ready." Jake said as he walked back toward the common area, where HK-47 and T3-M4 waited.

"Greeting: Hello master! Are we going to engage in unadulterated violence?" HK-47 said.

"Yeah, we are. A whole Jedi Enclave this time. I have one change for you HK. Only kill Jedi. If a non-Jedi attacks you, then you kill them, but only if attacked. The Jedi are your primary targets."

"Objection: But master! Not eliminating everyone…" HK-47 said before being cut off.

"Blah Blah efficiency whatever. Shut up. Ya do what I say, or I scrap you for parts I can use on T3. Understand?" Jake said, glaring at the droid.

"Resignation. Very well, master. I do not wish to anger you." HK-47 said.

"See that you don't. Gear yourself up for battle HK. We're going in." Jake said as he headed to his quarters.

"The Jedi Enclave on Hapes will not know what hit them." Bastila said.

Jake chuckled. "Yeah, they have no idea of our true intentions." He said, walking over to his wall of lightsabers. "Now which sabers will I use this time?" He looked over the many lightsabers he'd collected in the last three years. Most, being Sith lightsabers, were exactly the same. _Sith lightsabers are manufactured by droids after all, so overzealous apprentices don't detonate it when activating after making a mistake_. Jake smiled at the thought at finally getting some unique lightsaber in his collection. "Here we go." Jake said, selecting a very familiar lightsaber. He ignited it, and a violet blade extended from the hilt.

"The one you made on Dantooine." Bastila noted.

"I figure its poetic justice that I use the weapon I made as a Jedi on the Jedi." Jake said as he turned the blade off. He fastened it to his belt, and picked up a familiar double-bladed lightsaber. He ignited the saber, and a yellow light enveloped the room.

Bastila was surprised with his choice. "That's my lightsaber!" she said.

Jake just smiled. "Like I said, poetic justice." He turned off the blades. "That, and it will put them at ease to know I carry Jedi lightsabers. And if anyone asks. I can say I carry yours as a memento." Jake said, fastening Bastila's lightsaber to his belt.

Jake walked over to the trunk where his grenades were held. He opened it, and picked out a thermal detonator. "I'm glad to see you do this Revan. I thought you would stop when we were done with the Sith." Bastila said as Jake pocketed the detonator.

"We're not done with the Sith, Bastila. We're far from it. And as for the Jedi, I have you to thank you. You convinced me that they deserved our vengeance as much as the Sith, because they've done just as much to us as the Sith have." Jake said as he holstered his blaster. "Come on, I'm sure Canderous and the droids are ready. We should get to the map room and start the briefing."

Jake reentered the map room saw that Canderous had brought up the map of the planet. He was wearing the armor that they had made for him on Nar Shaddaa, three years earlier.

* * *

"What do you mean I should get new armor?" Canderous yelled at Jake.

"Simple. Frankly Mandalorian armor suits you, but when dealing with Force users, it's not enough. And, though you hate to admit it, Calo Nord's armor is resistant to the Force, but it's too damn small for you. We need the properties of Calo Nord's armor with the size and resilience of your armor." Jake said, leaning against the wall.

"Statement: I say we just blast the meatbag and save you the credits master." HK-47 said with glee.

"Watch yourself HK. You may be Revan's droid, but don't think I won't scrap you if you push me too far." Canderous said, anger seething throughout him.

Jake, however, was not impressed with either of them. Reaching out to the Force, he violently pushed them into the walls.

"Settle down, both of you! I'm not about to let my crew kill each other!" Jake yelled at Canderous and HK. "Now, before I was so rudely interrupted;" Jake said, glaring at HK. "We're taking Calo Nord's armor, and finding out what makes it resistant to the Force. Then we're having it stripped down and it's parts put in Canderous' armor."

* * *

Jake thought about the battles they had with Dark Jedi, and their Force powers were unable to affect any on them. Canderous was unstoppable in the armor they had created on Nar Shaddaa. Not only was it resistant to the Force, but thanks to the cortosis they had weaved into it, it was resistant to lightsabers as well. Jake smiled at how surprised the Jedi would be when they found their weapons and skills were useless against him.

Jake looked over at HK-47. He was learning new things about his droid every day. He found out on Dathomir the HK, too, was resistant to the Force. One of the witches attacked them with a Dark Side spell, and HK-47 stepped into the attack. HK was unharmed, and Jake wondered what else he did to the droid when he built it.

"All right boys, listen up. It's time for our briefing." Jake said as he walked over to the holoprojector. "T3, bring up the Jedi enclave."

T3 beeped in compliance, and the Hapes Jedi Enclave came up on the projector.

"All right, we're going to do things a little differently this time. First off, HK, we're not killing everyone the moment we enter the door. That flew on Sith worlds, but it won't fly in the Republic. Second, we're going to do what I call 'selective truth'. I'll tell them that I'm here to see the Jedi council and you two are my bodyguards, which is true. The reason why I want to see the council will remain hidden until the trap is sprung."

Jake said as he brought up the layout of the Enclave.

"This is the council chamber. You two wait here." Jake said, point to a room adjoining the council chamber by a long hallway. "Wait for my signal, and then attack."

"And what will that signal be?" Canderous asked.

"This." Jake said, pulling the thermal detonator out of his cargo pocket. "When you hear the explosion, you'll know I've struck, and that's when you take down the Force users. And only Force users! Don't attack anyone else unless they attack you. And HK, don't say a word about efficiency. Everyone understand?"

Canderous and HK-47 nodded.

"Good. T3, you stay here until I call for you. Everyone else, let's roll." Jake said as he headed for the exit. Canderous and HK-47 followed, and they began their mission on Hapes.

"Jedi Katarn, it's good to see you again." The Jedi outside the enclave said.

Jake stared down the Jedi. He looked him up and down, wondering how this kid would know him.

"Do I know you?" He said when he finally spoke.

"No, you don't. I am Padawan Lysandara Niko, and I was asked by the council to escort you to the council chamber." The Jedi said.

_This could work to our advantage_. Jake thought. He grinned, and looked behind him at Canderous and HK-47. Canderous, realizing what was going on, smiled back.

In the calmest tone he could muster, Jake spoke up. "All right Padawan, lead the way."

"I'm sorry Jedi Katarn, but your companions must remain here while you meet with the council." The Padawan said.

Then everything's going according to plan. Jake thought. "Canderous, HK, you stay here and guard the entrance. Padawan, lead the way."

"Ah, Jedi Knight Jake Katarn. What is the occasion that has you gracing us with your presence?" The Master said.

Jake looked around the chamber. There were five Jedi Masters in this room. A Twi'lek, a human, a Mon Calamiri, a Quarren and a Rodian. The Padawan that led him down here was standing at the doorway. The room was large. Large enough that he would have plenty of time to throw the thermal detonator and get out of the blast range. And he took in all this information in one sweep of the room.

"Well, you know that I've spent the last three years in Sith space, hunting them down. Today's the day I return to the Republic." Jake said.

"Do you wish to rejoin the Order as well?" The Quarren asked.

"No. That's not the reason I'm here." Jake said. He put his hand in his pocket, and pulled out his thermal detonator. "I'm here to kill you."

"What? What are you talking about?" The Rodian master asked.

"This is a thermal detonator." Jake said, holding it for all eyes to see. "And it's armed."

Jake tosses the detonator at the Jedi Masters, and dives for the door. The explosion envelopes the room, killing the Padawan, the Quarren Master, the Rodian Master, the Human Master, and seriously injured the Mon Calamiri and Twi'lek Masters. Jake, however, was unharmed because the shield he raised.

Upon hearing the explosion, Canderous and HK-47 sprung into action. HK-47 opened fire on the unsuspecting Jedi, and Canderous opened fire with his Heavy Repeater. They mowed down Jedi as they quickly as they could before one of the Jedi activated her lightsaber and began deflecting the bolts. Canderous dropped his gun and pulled the double-vibroblade off his back. He swung the blade at the Jedi, but the Jedi swung her blade at the vibroblade, and smiled, expecting the weapon to slice in half. But when the blades met, the expression on the Jedi's face said it all.

"Didn't expect a cortosis weaved vibroblade, did you Jedi?" Canderous said, pressing his attack. The Jedi was forced to disengage, and retreated back. "That lightsaber is useless against my armor as well. Both the droid and I have cortosis in our armor." He held the blade in front of him, in the ready position.

"Maybe my lightsaber won't work on you, but stop this." She said, putting her hand out in front of her. She tried putting a stasis field on Canderous, but it had no effect. She tried again and again as Canderous advanced. Canderous thrusted the blade through the Jedi's heart.

"My armor makes me resistant to the Force as well." He said. He pushed the blade to the side, tearing it through her flesh.

Meanwhile, in the council chamber, Jake stood up and ignited his lightsaber. He watched as the two surviving masters stood and did the same.

"Why?" The Twi'lek asked. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why are we doing this? Heh. You Jedi are all alike. As clueless as you are powerful." Jake said. "I think you all know why."

"This is about Bastila, isn't it? This is the reason that love is not allowed." The Mon Calamari said.

""YOU SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!" Jake shouted. He put his hand out, and casted lightning at the Mon Calamari. "Never talk about our love in a negative manner!"

The Twi'lek master was not about to let his companion suffer any longer, ran forward and attacked Jake. Jake raised his lightsaber, blocked the attack, and sneered at the master. "Come on, I know you masters are better than this. You should have no problem with a Jedi Knight." He released the lightning, and pushed the master he blocked back.

The Mon Calamari, though badly injured, stood up and re-ignited his lightsaber. "Jake, you don't have to do this. Whatever happened to you, the Jedi can help you." He said.

"Help me? Like the way you did when Bastila was sent to capture me? I don't think so! I've had enough of Jedi help! You took Bastila away from me, and now, you pay the price!" Jake shouted. He dashed forward, but, instead of attacking with his lightsaber, he attacked their minds. Shocked from the mental blast, the masters were barely able to get their weapons up before Jake struck.

But Jake had made a mistake. Through his aggressive tactics, he left the Rodian master able to attack. The Rodian disengaged and swung his lightsaber to Jake's side. All Jake did was smile. Reaching out to the Force, he pulled his other lightsaber from his belt and ignited it, blocking the other master's blow.

"Another lightsaber!" The Rodian exclaimed.

Jake sneered. "It belonged to Bastila. And I see a little poetic justice that I kill you with the weapon she created after touching my dark taint. A weapon of light used to take the light from your eyes!"

Using the Force, Jake violently pushed the masters away. He stood there, lightsabers crossed across his chest, one blade ignited on Bastila's lightsaber. This time it was the masters' turn to attack, rushing forward and attacking him simultaneously. Jake dodged and parried the attacks, allowing the masters to tire themselves out. After a few moments, the masters had Jake backed against the wall, bent back on the wall, lightsabers pressed against him.

Jake just let out a laugh. The masters were naturally confused, and the Rodian spoke up.

"What are you laughing about?" he said.

"You masters are more foolish than I anticipated." Jake said, igniting the other side of Bastila's lightsaber. The blade pierced the heart of the Mon Calamiri, killing him instantly. He pushed the Rodian back, and deactivated Bastila's lightsaber. "It seems you weren't paying attention to the nature of my second lightsaber." Jake took a menacing steep forward. "Now, it's time to end this."


	5. The Return of Juhani

Juhani had been meditating when Jake entered the enclave, but when she felt four Jedi Masters join with the Force, she immediately awoke out of it and ran toward the source. What she found, however, was something she never expected. There stood Jake Katarn, standing over a freshly killed Jedi Master.

"I figured I'd see you sooner or later, Juhani, but I never expected to see you so soon." Jake said, with his back still to her.

"Jake? Is that you?" Juhani asked. She knew she felt dark power emanating from the room, but never expected it to come from Jake. "What happened to you?"

"Insanity happened to me." Jake said, deactivating his lightsaber. "Bastila's death has driven me mad." Jake turned around. "You see, when I killed her, I didn't just feel her death through the Force, I felt it in my mind as well. And with the way we are linked, her death took a great toll on my mind."

Juhani was confused. "Way you are linked? Don't you mean were?" she asked.

Jake let out a sneer. "No. I meant what I said. You see, when Bastila died, she didn't join with the Force. She attached herself to me. Now, we are one!"

"But why? Why did you kill these Jedi?" Juhani said.

"Because they've committed crimes in the name of justice. They reprogrammed me like I'm some fracking droid! And what they did to Bastila, is even worse." Jake growled. "By forbidding her to love, they killed her! If she had been allowed to love, if she would have just admitted to her feelings, she would still be alive!"

Juhani stood there for a moment, shocked at what she saw. There stood the man who saved her from slavery, from the Dark Side, standing over the body of a dead Jedi Master. Something was definitely wrong with him, and he needed help.

"Jake, whatever's happened, I can help." She said as she walked over to him. She put her hand on his shoulder. "The Jedi can help."

Rage filled Jake at the mention of "Jedi help." "Don't touch me, Cathar!" he said, violently grabbing her hand and throwing her to the ground. "I've had enough of 'Jedi help.'" Jake turned around and sighed. "Juhani, you might want to get out of here. Canderous and HK have lined this enclave with explosives. You have fifteen minutes." _That should give me enough time to download the information we need_. "Use then to gather your things and get out of here." Jake started to walk away. "Oh, and before I forget, those explosives have a hair trigger. If you even touch them, they'll blow."

Juhani sat there for a moment, digesting what Jake said. But she knew that no matter what happened to him, Jake was no liar. She got up quickly, and ran to her quarters to retrieve her things and get out of the enclave before it went up in flames.

Jake walked down the corridor, returning to the lobby of the enclave, where Canderous and HK-47 were placing the explosives. Upon seeing his master, HK-47 spoke up.

"Query: Are you finished with the Jedi, Master?"

"Yeah. The only one I left alive was Juhani." Jake said as he walked toward his comrades.

"The Cathar was here?" Canderous asked, looking up from the explosive he was setting up.

"Yeah, she was here. And the reason why I didn't kill her is my own. I told her she had fifteen minutes to get out of here before we blow the enclave. That'll give me plenty of time to download the information we need. So, as soon as you are done, contact me on the comm. I'll be at the central computer room." Jake said as he walked away, and down a corridor.

_So he wouldn't kill Juhani. Seems more of who he was survived than he's willing to admit_. Canderous thought as he placed the last charge. "You done HK?" Canderous shouted to HK-47.

"Answer: Yes, Mandalorian, I am finished. All that's left is awaiting the Master's word." HK-47 said.

_Mandalorian. His way of showing a little respect for his comrade in arms. And the only reason he does this is because Revan told him to show me a little respect_. Canderous thought, remembering the fight.

_**Three years earlier…**_

The_ Ebon Hawk_ had just entered hyperspace after the horrible episode on Myrkr. Jake and Canderous were discussing what to do next, and Jake had decided they needed a base of operations outside Republic and Sith space.

"And you think they'll let you back into the temple?" Canderous asked.

"Why not? They were willing to trust me, even after Malak and I betrayed them. It makes sense that they would let me back in there. Depending on what I tell them." Jake said.

Canderous rolled his eyes. "And what do you plan on telling them?" he asked.

"That I want to enter the temple to get the locations of other Star Maps, so we can destroy them, thus preventing anyone from searching out the Star Forge." Jake said. He leaned back in his chair, staring out into space.

"But the Star Forge is gone Revan. I doubt they'll believe that," Canderous said as he worked on his station, making adjustments as needed.

"But the Star Maps leaves a legacy for the Rakata, one which they don't want to present to the galaxy anymore. Destroying the Star Maps will help with this." Jake said. A slight smile came across his face.

Canderous chuckled. "Guess you thought of everything, haven't you?" he said.

This time it was Jake's turn to chuckle. "Yeah, well, you don't become the Jedi that I am without figuring out all the angles."

The _Ebon Hawk_ came out of hyperspace in Rakatan space. Canderous, who had not seen the planet from this view, was slightly impressed with what he saw. Sensing this, Jake spoke up. "It was an even wilder sight with the Star Forge sitting there, believe me. I bet the Rakata aren't used to Star Forge-less sky yet either. After all, thousands of generations grew up with it," Jake said, sitting up straight in his seat. "But enough talking. Take 'er down, Canderous."

Canderous nodded, and began landing procedures.

The landing was uneventful, especially considering what happened the last time they were there. Both Jake and Canderous remembered the last time. The landing was so rough it felt like battered swoop bike riding through the badlands on Tatooine. This time the landing was a smooth as a Selkath's head.

"Guess the disruptor field is still down. That's good. The shield that guards the temple entrance might still be down as well," Jake said as he, Canderous, HK-47 and T3-M4 exited the ship. They had barely stepped on to the beach when they saw a group of Elders approach them. Remembering the last time a group of Rakata ran toward them, Canderous and HK-47 raised their blasters, but Jake raised his hands.

"These are the peaceful Rakata, remember? It's the ones with the black and grey skin that we have to worry about," Jake said.

"Query: Are you certain Master? I could blast them quickly of you're not," HK-47 said.

"Of course I'm certain HK. And if you question my orders again, I'll rip out your vocabulator!" Jake yelled at the droid.

Canderous lowered his weapon, and spoke up. "Cool it, Revan. The droid only brought up a valid point."

"Statement: The meatbag is correct master. I am only concerned with your well being," HK-47 said, blaster still at ready.

Canderous sneered at HK-47. "Keep calling me a meatbag, droid, and I'll make good on Revan's threat to dismantle you!" Canderous yelled at the droid.

"Statement: Try it, Meatbag, and you'll see just how much more superior I am to organics!" the droid said, pointing his blaster right at Canderous' face.

"Stop it, both of you!" Jake said, telekinetically pulling the rifle out of the droid's hands. "HK, you will no longer call Canderous a meatbag. He's your comrade-in-arms, and should be treated as such."

"Statement: But Master! There's no other term that adequately describes organic beings!"

"I don't care. Call him by his name, call him Mandalorian, I don't give a gizka's ass. You will show him respect, do you understand?" Jake said as he gave HK-47 back his rifle.

"Resignation: I understand, Master. From this point on, I will refer to him as 'Mandalorian.' Will that suffice?" HK-47 said, taking back his weapon.

"Yes, it will suffice. And Canderous, no more calling T3 or HK 'droid', got it? It's the same as HK calling you a 'meatbag'. So no more, okay?" Jake said.

Canderous nodded. He understood well, and the only reason he called HK-47 "droid" was retaliatory. There was no true malice behind his words.

_**Present day…**_

The memory faded as quickly as it came. Canderous smiled at Revan's ability to quell discontent within his ranks, thus allowing them to work together as a unit far better than they would otherwise. It was one of Revan's abilities that made him such a great general.

Jake stood before central computer, where the most important information was being held, such as galaxy maps and the list of Jedi enclaves. He connected his datapad and began the download. At that moment, Bastila decided to materialize.

"Ah, the Hapes enclave. I've never been here, but it seems to have a certain familiarity to it." Bastila said.

"Well, it won't for much longer. You probably saw Canderous and HK lining the building with explosives. The Hapes Jedi enclave will soon be nothing more than a memory," Jake said, as a sly smile came over his face.

"I saw Revan, just as I saw your battle with the Masters. And how you spared Juhani," Bastila said.

Jake looked at Bastila as the download continued. "You sound like you disapprove," he said.

"Of course I disapprove! Juhani is a product of the Jedi teachings that killed me!" Bastila yelled at Jake.

"She's also a Jedi who thinks for herself. Juhani, Jolee and Yuthura Ban all have more life experience in the past few years than most Jedi do in their entire lifetime. And their sense of justice is uncorrupted by the Dark Side, like ours is," Jake said, never taking his eyes off his datapad.

Bastila looked at Jake with a puzzled look on her face. "What are you doing anyway?" she asked.

"Downloading the locations of Jedi enclaves. Remember that Sith datapad we found a few months ago? The Sith's mission was to infiltrate the Jedi enclave on Hapes. That's the only reason I know of the enclave here. And if we want to continue our crusade against the Jedi, we need the locations of Jedi enclaves throughout the galaxy," Jake said.

Juhani scrambled to pack her things before the enclave blew, all the while thoughts racing through her head. Why was Jake doing this? What did he hope to accomplish? How did he fall to the Dark Side, and why? What had he been doing for the past three years? Questions whirled around in her mind, and now was not the time or place to figure it out. Now was the time for speed.

"There, all done!" Jake said, pressing a button on his datapad. "Hmm. Didn't have as many enclaves as I thought it would."

"Perhaps the other worlds have more clues," Bastila said.

Jake just smiled. "What?" Bastila asked.

"It's just the fact that you said the exact same thing when we found the first Star Map," Jake said. He paused for a moment before speaking again. "We've come a long way since then, haven't we?"

Bastila smiled a half-smile. "Quite a long way. If someone had told me that I would fall to the Dark Side and attach myself to a former Sith Lord, I would have told them to get their head examined."

Jake smiled. "Why Bastila, was that an attempt at a joke?"

If any blood still existed in her body, she would have blushed. "I guess it was. How was it?"

"Not bad, for a first timer. In time, you'll be as good at cracking jokes as I am," Jake said, taking his com unit from his belt. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get a hold Canderous and HK."

"Canderous, HK, are the explosives set?" Jake spoke into the comm..

"Statement: The explosives are primed and ready, Master. All the Mandalorian and I have to do is link them up to your remote detonator," HK-47 said over the comm.

"All right, I'll bring the detonator right away. You guys set that up while I head down to the council chamber to get some new lightsabers. I expect the detonator to be ready by the time I come back up. Understand?" Jake said.

"Assurance: Master, you have nothing to worry about. The Mandalorian and I will have everything ready by the time you wish to leave."

Bastila smiled at the sight of the dead Jedi Masters. _That is what you deserve for forbidding me to love him, you pompous fools! _Bastila thought. She walked over to the Master that was killed by her lightsaber, and examined the body. "What I wouldn't have given to have done this myself!"

Jake was on the other side of the room, checking for intact lightsabers among the bodies of the Jedi who were killed by the thermal detonator. _Useless!_ Jake thought. _The only thing still intact is the damn crystal!_ Jake looked over at Bastila, noticing that she was standing over the Master he killed with her lightsaber. He walked over to her, and began searching the body for an intact lightsaber. This time, he was not disappointed. He picked up the lightsaber and ignited it, blue light emitting from the blade. He turned off the blade, and started examining the hilt. "Finally," Jake said. "Something original! I swear, I hate those droid built Sith lightsabers. Stupid hotheaded Sith. If they don't even have the calm head to actually build one of these, they will never in a million years have a chance against me!"

"You're arrogant, Revan, but not without good reason. Not even a Jedi Master could stand against you!" Bastila said as Jake pocketed the lightsaber. She put her hand on Jake's shoulder, but immediately remembered her cold touch. "Damn it! Even after three years, I'm still not used to this!" Bastila shouted.

"I'm not either Bas'," Jake said, examining the body of the other master. "That's why I'm still doing this. If I didn't still have a hard time accepting your death, I wouldn't feel the need for vengeance." Jake picked up the lightsaber, igniting the blade. This time, a yellow light emitted from it. Jake turned the weapon off, and pocketed it. _That 'saber, though similar, is different enough to please me._ Jake thought. "Well, we've got what we came for. It's time to blow this place." Jake turned to leave when Bastila grabbed a hold of his arm.

"Wait," she said, "I need to speak to you alone for a moment. Without Canderous or the droids within earshot."

"Alright, shoot," Jake said.

"I was wondering why you're doing this. I know one of the reasons is for revenge, but I can feel something else within you. What is it that you're hiding from me?" Bastila asked.

Jake sighed. "The reason I haven't told you this is because I'm not totally sure of it," he said, reaching out to grab a hold of Bastila, but hesitated. _Damn it!_ he thought. _Even after three years, I'm still not used to it!_ "I guess I just want to leave a legacy that isn't Revan. 'Revan's the savior of the galaxy, Revan's the Sith Lord who killed my family, blah blah blah.' I want someone to say, 'Jake Katarn was the scourge of the Jedi and the destroyer of the Sith because they wouldn't allow him to be with the one he loves.'"

Bastila smiled for a moment before speaking. "That's so sweet, Revan." She leaned in to kiss him, and was almost touching his lips before stopping, remembering her existence. She dropped to her knees and burst into tears. _After all this time, I still haven't gotten used to this! I want to hold him, to touch him, to show him how much I love him, but I can't!_

As Jake looked down at Bastila, rage and hate filled him. Rage at the fact that he couldn't console her the way he wanted to, and hate at those who caused her pain. "Don't worry Bastila. We'll get them back. The Jedi and the Sith will pay for every tear you've shed because of their actions. They will all feel the wrath of the mad Jedi Jake Katarn!"

Bastila wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up. She grinned slightly, knowing that Jake would slaughter the galaxy if that is what it took to make her smile. And he was fully capable of doing so. But now was not the time to praise his skills. Now was the time to make their grand return to the Republic. "Come on, we need to get out of here," Bastila said, leading the way back to the courtyard.

Using the Force to speed up her movements, Juhani got out of the enclave with plenty of time to spare. By the time the bombs went off, Juhani was a half a kilometer away. She dropped to her knees from exhaustion, watching the enclave burn. She knew she would have to return to help those that were caught in the blast, but for now, she needed time to process what had happened. She looked up at the sky, and saw a familiar ship, the _Ebon Hawk_, leave the atmosphere. She shook her head, trying to figure out what to do next.

Using the Force to rid her body of exhaustion and fill herself with energy, Juhani stood up and slowly made her way back to the enclave. As she got closer, she began do see the devastation caused by the explosion. At the furthest reach of the blast radius, people were knocked down, with small bruises and scrapes. But the closer she got, the worse the injuries became. From shrapnel to burns to body parts completely blown away, the devastation was horrific. _Why?_ she thought. _What do you hope to accomplish with your actions? _

Juhani knelt down next to a badly injured, but still living, man. Using her own meager healing abilities and some med packs in her bag, she tried to ease his pain and give him a chance to live long enough to wait for real medical attention. She surveyed the area, looking for others who needed immediate attention, and quickly did what she could to make them more comfortable until a team of medics reached the area.

Upon their arrival, Juhani directed them to the ones that had the worst injuries before being stopped by the planetary government police forces. After she gave her statement to the police, Juhani quietly headed for the spaceport. She needed advice on recent events, and she knew exactly where to find it.


	6. Juhani's Hyperspace Journey

Upon reaching her ship, the _Cathar Knight_, Juhani was greeted by her protocol droid, 1BD6, and her astromech droid, T4N1.

"Greetings Mistress Juhani. Was your stay at the Hapes Enclave pleasant?" 1BD6 asked. Juhani looked at her protocol droid. With her warrior nature and lack of diplomatic skills, Juhani had needed a droid programmed for translation and etiquette, to teach her the customs of the worlds she would be visiting throughout the galaxy, as well as translate the languages she didn't understand. And her knowledge of languages was limited to Basic and Cathari.

"Not as pleasant as it could have been. But I do not wish to talk about that right now." Juhani said, walking up the loading ramp. "We need to get to Coruscant, where I can get some advice on 'recent events'."

T4N1 chimed in. "Yes T4, it does have something to do with the _Ebon Hawk_. I fear its owner has fallen." Juhani retorted. She looked down at the astromech droid and grinned slightly. Since her repair skills were lacking as well, she bought T4N1 when she was given the _Cathar Knight_. The small droid was also skilled at piloting the ship as well. "T4, please prepare the ship for take off. 1B, get make sure that ground control knows we mean to leave soon. Come and get me when we are prepared to leave."

"As you command Mistress." 1BD6 said, as Juhani headed back to her quarters.

Upon entering her quarters, Juhani stripped off her blood stained tunic and threw it into her clothes hamper. She opened one of her drawers, selected a simple shirt, and put it on. She thought about sitting down to meditate, but decided not to. _The ship will be ready in less than an hour, and I have an entire day before I get to Corusant. I have plenty of time_. She took a moment to look in the mirror, an indulgence she didn't partake in often, noting the changes she had gone through physically over the last three years since she had seen Jake. She had reached the age where her mane had begun to grow in, and because of her youth, it was a darker color than that of her mother, an almost dark red color. Her mane reached down to her neck, making her appearance similar to the Cathar Jedi Sylvar in later holos, and looking at it closely, she decided she would keep it short. She had seen many human women have problems with longer hair during combat, with it getting in their eyes or giving their opponent an extra weak point to use against her. She contemplated on how often she would need to cut her mane in order to prevent that weakness when 1BD6 alerted her that all the preparations were ready. She quickly set aside her "trivial" problem and brought her attention on getting where she needed to go.

The _Cathar Knight_ was similar in size to the_ Ebon Hawk_. However, this ship was specially built for Juhani. It had four laser cannons around the front of the ship, and shields comparable to a Star Cruiser. And in the rear was a hyperdrive comparable to the _Ebon Hawk_. It had her personal crew quarters, as well as an additional set of quarters, in case she needed to transport someone. It had a refresher, a food synthesizer, and a cargo hold to carry the supplies she needed. Adjacent to the cargo hold was the droid repair bay, where T4N1 and 1BD6 would recharge and repair themselves as needed. Juhani was pleased with the _Cathar Knight_, and with its capabilities. Juhani entered the cockpit and strapped herself in. She began the take off procedures, and was soon outside the planet's atmosphere and making the calculations for the hyperspace jump. Once the numbers were put in, the _Cathar Knight_ went into hyperspace, and Juhani unstrapped herself from the pilot's seat. "T4, please keep the ship on course. I need to get cleaned up." Juhani said. T4 beeped in compliance as Juhani headed back toward the refresher.

Jake threw his bag on his bed. "Boy, wanton slaughter really takes a lot out of you." Jake said. He took his coat off, and hung it on a post he installed three years earlier. He took the lightsabers he collected out of his pockets, and looked for a place to put them on his wall. _Guess I'm going to need to take some of these Sith lightsabers down if I want to display the Jedi ones_. Jake decided to place them in his foot locker until he had a chance to move the Sith 'sabers. He placed Bastila's lightsaber in the place of honor it belonged in, on the small rack he built for it. He placed his lightsaber in its usual spot, on the spot on the wall directly next to Bastila's. Jake dropped down onto his bed, and thought about what his life had become. He had gone through a lot of changes, but the core of him had remained the same. He still helped the innocent; giving them credits, saving them from thugs, using his powers to heal them; but his sense of who was innocent had been perverted by the Dark Side. For example, he no longer felt that Sith "noncombatants" were innocent. If they helped his enemy, they were the enemy. Jake remembered a time, 6 months earlier, when he, HK-47 and Canderous broke into a Sith base. It was similar in design to the base he broke into on Taris three years earlier, where a woman sat at the front desk. But, instead of bribing her to run away, Jake used the Force to choke the life out of her. He then, much to HK-47's delight, systematically slaughtered every single living being inside that base. "It sends a message." He had told Canderous at the time, and in a way, it was true. The rest of the reason was to bleed off his anger at them. Jake hated the Sith for taking Bastila away from him. And, for the remainder of his days, he would be the scourge of the Sith, slaughtering them until he died or there were no more. And with his power, one was just as likely as the other.

But, for his campaign against the Jedi, the reason was a far more complex one. It was the flawed teachings of the Jedi that forbid their love that eventually aided in Bastila's fall, the fall that forced him to kill her. And for that, Jake would be the scourge of the Jedi, the mad Jedi who fought for love.

"And so it begins. Today, we become the scourge of the Jedi!" Bastila said, taking a visible form. "I am proud of what you've done, though I still wonder why you spared Juhani."

Jake sighed. "Two reasons. One, to send a message. Juhani will tell the Jedi council on Corusant what I've done, and the council will decide that I need to be stopped. More Jedi will be dispatched, making the search for Jedi a whole lot easier."

"And the second reason?" Bastila asked.

"I couldn't kill her. The friends that I made during the search for the Star Maps are my greatest weakness. No matter how hard I try, I cannot kill them. But I will hurt them if I need to, to get them out of my way." Jake said, standing up. "I could no more kill them than I could stop loving you."

"But if they're your greatest weakness, they could kill you easier than anyone else! They're a threat to us!" Bastila pleaded with Jake.

"One day, we're going to have to be stopped, and I'd rather have my friends take me down than some other Jedi. Those three would give me the honorable death I deserve. Not like the Jedi. Those damn Jedi would erase my mind, making me their puppet again!" Jake said. "And I won't let that happen again!"

Juhani sat in her quarters in an attempt at meditation. She was clad only in a dark blue bathrobe that, when she stood up, reached down into the middle of her thigh. Her mane, still wet from the shower, clung to her head. She sat in the middle of the room, attempting to clear her mind so she could look at recent events without her emotions clouding her mind. But every time she got close to her emotional center, she felt a strange sensation when her mind wandered toward Jake. She couldn't get him, or what he did, out of her head. She tried pushing those thoughts away, but they always returned, more intense each time. So she decided to abandon her meditation and try something else.

Juhani stood up, and floated her lightsaber to her. Igniting the 'saber, she stood in a ready stance. Since she couldn't concentrate using standard meditation techniques, she decided she would try what some Jedi masters referred to as "moving meditation", a style of meditation where one's emotional center is reached through motion, rather than sitting still. While the sitting still variety had it's time and place, Juhani found that a 'saber dance worked far better for her in helping her calm down. Juhani breathed out, and began her dance.

Juhani moved with catlike grace, but her actions were determined by the memories that were brought up. She thought back to her childhood, and the injustices she was subjected to, and her movements were fierce and violent. When thoughts of Xor, the human that bought her, her Cathar rage came up, causing her to strike with more intensity, but less accuracy. Remembering what Sylvar told her, Juhani let that rage pass through her, and continued her dance.

Juhani thought of the day that Jake came to Taris and freed her from slavery. With the thoughts of Jake, Juhani once again felt that strange feeling in her heart. Every time a thought, or image or even the mention of his name made Juhani's heart skip a beat. And with Juhani's preference for women, she didn't understand why she felt this way. But, with those thoughts in her head, her movements became sloppy, and if she continued to move as she was, the lightsaber could become a danger to her. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind, and continued her meditation.

When memories of being accepted by the Jedi came over her, a wave of happiness and relief came over her. This is where her current life began. Her time with the Jedi was the first place she ever felt happy. The peaceful atmosphere of Dantooine, the training regiment, the friends she made, all made her feel truly happy, truly at peace. Even the actions of Quatra, her master, made her smile. At the time, Juhani was angry with Quatra, but now, she knew the reason behind Quatra's actions. Since Juhani was Cathar, she would never escape the rage that all her species feels. Quatra's actions were to show Juhani that she needed to learn how to control those emotions. And though, at the time, Juhani failed to learn that lesson, but now, she understood that extremely well.

Eventually, thoughts of Dantooine lead her right back to Jake. Unaware of his true identity at the time, Jake was an apprentice at the Jedi academy. He had been sent out to take his final test, to confront the Dark Side. He was to cleanse the meditation grove of the darkness that was corrupting the kath hounds. Jake was surprised to find that Juhani was the source of that darkness. Jake battled Juhani, but he refused to kill her. He said that not only was that not the Jedi way, but it was not his way. He told her that she should repent for her actions, and show the Jedi that she was truly sorry for her deeds. Juhani returned to the council, and was accepted back.

When Jake returned, he was promoted to Padawan. Juhani was happy for him. She felt he would become a great Jedi one day. And when she heard of his mission, Juhani was eager to join him. The memory of that eagerness caused her to slip when attempting a pivot, and the lightsaber came dangerously close to her face. Shaking off those thoughts, Juhani took the ready stance again, and resumed her meditation.

The journey for the Star Forge was a huge learning experience for her as well. Dealing with others was something she wasn't used to, but she was forced into a situation where she had to. The Republic solider, Carth, was easy to get along with, if a little distant. Bastila, though a fellow Jedi, was also too distant to talk to. She had no problems with the Wookiee, Zaalbar, and she felt a strange kinship with another being that felt similar rage as she did.

The young Twi'lek, Mission Vao, was a little different. She too, grew up on Taris. Mission understood many of the feelings that Juhani felt, and was the easiest to talk to, other than Jake. Juhani spent many nights talking to Mission, teaching her and learning from her.

And then there was the Mandalorian. From the moment she found Canderous was Mandalorian, she had issues with him. She had many verbal battles with him, and had many duels with him aboard the Ebon Hawk. Though she respected his skills with a vibrosword and a blaster, she could never get past the fact that his people destroyed her home world. She could accept him as a comrade in arms, but nothing more.

In addition, there was Jolee Bindo. Jolee had taught Juhani much about being a Jedi. His ideas of how the Jedi should be fit Juhani's personality far better than what the masters on Dantooine taught. Jolee told Juhani that just because she was a Jedi doesn't mean she had to stop being a Cathar. Jolee's advice had not only helped Juhani as a Jedi, but as an individual as well. And, thoughts of Jolee, Juhani was finally able to bring some sort of calm to herself, and some smoothness to her movements were finally able to return.

And then her thoughts came to Yuthura Ban. Yuthura and Juhani became close friends over the past three years. Both dealt with a lot of anger, and each helped the other deal with that anger. They had spent many days at the Jedi Temple on Corusant, talking about how to deal with their anger, and how they would fight the slavery in the galaxy. The thoughts of Yuthura comforted her, and helped calm Juhani down.

With an emotional center achieved, Juhani finally ended her meditation and turned off her lightsaber. Breathing heavily, Juhani put her lightsaber in her dresser. She ran her fingers through her mane, noting it was soaked with sweat. In fact, her entire body was soaked with sweat. She would need to shower again, but the more pressing thing was the hunger that had creeped up on her. She exited her room and went to the food synthesizer, to prepare herself something to eat.

Juhani sad down at the table she set up next to the synthesizer, and started eating her meal. The meal was simple, but it was Cathari cooking, a recipe Juhani had learned from the Jedi Master Sylvar. Because Sylvar was Cathar, she taught Juhani much about being a Cathar Jedi, in addition to many other things.

_**Two years earlier…**_

Juhani walked through the garden outside the Jedi Temple. She enjoyed the tranquility of the garden, teaming with life and bristling with the Force. She breathed in deep, feeling the freshest air on Corusant flow through her lungs.

"The air here is much sweeter than anywhere else on Corusant, is it not?" A voice from behind Juhani said. She turned around, and saw a face that was familiar, yet strange to her. The face was Cathar, but she saw no one she recognized. "Who are you?" Juhani asked.

"I am Sylvar, Jedi Master. And, as you can plainly see, I am Cathar, like yourself." Sylvar said.

"Sylvar?" Juhani said. "You…you fought in the Great Sith War, against Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma."

"Yes. Just as you fought in the Jedi Civil War. Both of our exploits are well know throughout the Jedi Order. Cathar Jedi are rare, after all." Sylvar said.

"Why are Cathar Jedi rare?" Juhani asked.

"You know of the rage that our species deals with. We Cathar are more inclined to the Dark Side than the light." Sylvar said. Eyeing a bench, Sylvar led Juhani to it and sat down.

"Then how do you deal with it?" Juhani asked. She was extremely curious as to how this woman was able to control the Cathar rage.

"First off, you must realize that we are Cathar first, and Jedi second. Once you accept this, controlling that rage will be easier." Sylvar said.

Juhani sighed. She wasn't expecting some great secret on how to control her anger, but she was expecting more than this. Sensing Juhani's disappointment, Sylvar spoke up.

"There is more than that, young one. But accepting what we are is the beginning. I can help you with this, if you wish." Sylvar said, a slight grin on her face.

Juhani stood there at the moment, staring at the elder Cathar for the moment. Sylvar had been alive for longer than Juhani, and therefore had much wisdom to give. And Sylvar was much more experienced at being a Cathar Jedi than Juhani. Also, Juhani rarely had a chance to speak with other Cathar after what the Mandalorians did to her home world.

"I would appreciate anything you can teach me, Master Sylvar." Juhani said.

"Good. First off, just call me Sylvar. I am not your master, but rather, a potential friend. Second, sit down, and I will tell you what I've learned over the years."

_**Present day…**_

Juhani had learned a lot from Sylvar, both about being a Jedi and being Cathar. Since Juhani had grown up on a human world, she knew very little of Cathari customs and rituals. Sylvar, having spent many of her years on Cathar, knew a great deal of their people. Through Sylvar's teachings, Juhani learned a great deal about being a Cathar, including why she did some of the things she did. Juhani had a great friend in Sylvar, and a great mentor. And what Sylvar taught Juhani went beyond just Jedi teachings and how to deal with being a Cathar Jedi. The most recent example was the food Juhani had just eaten. This meal, and many others, were recipes that Sylvar had given to Juhani to program into the synthesizer. After finishing her meal, Juhani cleaned up after herself and headed toward the cockpit.

Upon entering the cockpit, T4N1 beeped inquisitively at Juhani.

"A little. Thank you for your concern T4." Juhani said, dropping down into her seat.

T4N1 beeped inquisitively again.

"I don't know. There are a lot of things. As Revan, he saved me from slavery, and was the main reason I was brought into the Jedi Order. And later, in his current form, he saved me from the Dark Side." Juhani said, sighing. Anytime she thought of Jake, emotions came up in her that she didn't understand. And, rather than let T4 ask another question, Juhani decided to ask one of her own.

"How long until we get to Corusant?" Juhani asked the diminutive droid. T4N1 beeped out a quick answer, and Juhani spoke again.

"I should be able to get some sleep then. Thank you T4, and I will see you in the morning." Juhani said, standing up from her chair. She headed to the back as T4 beeped out the equivalent of "You're welcome."

"How was your meditation, Mistress Juhani?" 1BD6 asked as Juhani entered the main area.

_Do these droids never cease to ask questions? _Juhani thought, but decided against saying it. "It went well. Thank you 1B." Juhani headed toward her quarters, as she continued to speak to the droid. "We will be at Corusant in 12 hours, so I will try to get some sleep before then. Please wake me up in nine hours, so I have time to get cleaned up and eat before touching the ground."

"Of course Mistress. I hope you sleep well." The droid said, as Juhani disappeared into her quarters.

_**6 hours later…**_

Taking the last Sith lightsaber out of his bag, Jake Katarn looked at his wall of Sith lightsabers. Though boring looking, Jake was proud of his collection. He had claimed two rooms in the enclave formerly owned by "The One", and was using one as a storage room for the lightsabers he collected, and the other as his living quarters. When they first decided to use this enclave as their base, Canderous thought it was a bit excessive for him to claim two rooms, but with the number of lightsabers they had collected, Canderous no longer said anything. Jake had filled each wall in that room, and Jake started building racks to hold more. Jake placed the two lightsabers he had in his hands, and placed them on the newest rack. _Now I've got room on the ship for the Jedi lightsabers._ Jake thought as he left the room.

The room he kept the lightsabers in was one of the holding cells "The One" held the four young rancors before he was killed by Jake and his group. Jake grinned at the thought of how easy the rancors and "The One" were to defeat.

Canderous stood outside the chamber as Jake placed his lightsabers in his trophy room, as he always did. Jake, though he liked Canderous' presence when he headed back here, Jake preferred to be alone when he hung up his lightsabers. And Canderous respected that. He figured Jake was doing a "warrior's ritual", something Canderous knew very well.

And so, each time, Canderous waited patiently until Jake returned. This time was no different. When Jake came into view, Canderous spoke up.

"So, where are we heading next?" Canderous asked.

"Has T3 analyzed the information?" Jake asked, as they began their walk back to the "War Room." The War Room was the room where the Rakatan historian had been three years earlier.

"Yes he has. We now have a complete map of both Jedi and Sith bases throughout the galaxy." Canderous said.

"All right, we'll take a look at the map and figure out where to go next. My preference, however, is to strike in the Outer Rim. That way, we don't give the Jedi a pattern for our actions. After we decide where we're going, we're going to have a few days of R&R before heading out again." Jake said.

_**6 hours later….**_

Juhani sat in the cockpit of the _Cathar Knight_, awaiting landing clearance. Corusant was right below her, and she would get the advice she would need.


	7. Meeting on Dxun

Juhani set her ship down the _Cathar Knight_ on the Jedi Temple landing pad. She took a moment to look out at the Coruscant landscape, taking in the sights of the planet. Though the majority of the planet was like Taris, one large planet wide city, there were a few areas that were still at least partially organic. Juhani feared that one day, all plant life, even the garden outside the Temple, would be gone. Shaking those thoughts from her head, Juhani headed toward the garden, where she expected to find Sylvar.

She wasn't disappointed. Since Sylvar was an instructor for those students who were of species that were inclined to the Dark Side, Juhani was sure that if Sylvar wasn't in the garden, she would find her inside the Temple itself. However, who was with Sylvar was a pleasant surprise. Sitting by Sylvar was Jolee Bindo.

"Juhani! It's good to see you again. So, what brings you to Coruscant?" Jolee asked.

"I was actually looking to talk to Sylvar, but finding you here as well is even better." Juhani said.

"What is it you wanted to speak to me about child?" Sylvar asked.

_Do I tell them? About the strange feelings I've been having when I think of him? _Juhani thought. _No. My feelings are for me to deal with. But they do need to know that he has returned._

"He's returned to the Republic, hasn't he?" Jolee asked. Juhani nodded.

"Who's returned? What are you two talking about?" Sylvar asked.

"Jake Katarn. Revan. Whatever he wants to be called. He's returned from the Sith Empire and decided he's going to come after the Jedi. Am I right, Juhani?" Jolee said.

"Yes. I just came from Hapes. Jake, Canderous and HK-47 wiped out the enclave, and then blew it up." Juhani said.

Sylvar sighed. "Well, common knowledge of Revan would say he didn't do that for no reason at all. There must have been something on Hapes he wanted."

"Sylvar, Jake and Revan are not the same person. While Jake has Revan's face, skills and power, his mind works differently that Revan's." Jolee said. "But you've got a point. Hapes is near the Perlemian Trade Route. That hyperspace route has a safe route from the Deep Core to the fringes of the Unknown Regions. And we all know that trade routes have maps to other worlds along them."

"And no doubt that a Jedi enclave has many other enclaves within it's database." Sylvar said.

"So, where do you think he'll strike next?" Juhani asked.

Jolee cleared his throat before speaking. "Probably somewhere he can hide. Somewhere affected by all three of the most recent wars. Somewhere like…."

**Meanwhile, on Rakata Prime…**

"Dxun." Jake said.

"Dxun? There's no Jedi on Dxun." Canderous said.

"True. But we could use Dxun as a staging camp to assault the Jedi on the Inner Rim, just like your people did during the Mandalorian Wars." Jake said. He watched Canderous grin slightly at the memory of the Mandalorian Wars. "Plus, I have access to the Tomb of Freedon Nadd, and the dark energy within. Combine Freedon Nadd's tomb, my own Force aura and Juhani's information, someone will figure out where we're going."

**Coruscant…**

"So, should we tell the council?" Sylvar asked.

"Not yet. I'm sure that Jake has a reason for going to Dxun. I'd wager he's trying to lure more Jedi, and fighting in a place where he has the advantage. If I can talk to him, maybe I can knock some sense into that skull of his." Jolee said. He stood up, and started heading toward the landing platform before Juhani spoke up.

"Jolee, be careful. Jake is not the same man he was when we last saw him. He might try to hurt you." She said.

"I don't think he's fallen so far as to hurt his friends yet. I mean, he went out of his way to tell you to get out of there, right?" Jolee said.

A few days later, Jolee landed his ship on the surface of Dxun. Figuring he would find him near Freedon Nadd's tomb, Jolee landed his ship in one of the clearings near the tomb. As he got out of the ship, Jolee took in all he could in the surrounding area. _It's almost hard to believe this moon was the stage of one of the bloodiest battles of the Mandalorian Wars, given the growth of the vegetation in this area. But this looks like a blast crater._ He thought. Straightening his belt, which allowed his lightsaber to bang on his leg, he set off into the jungle.

Jake Katarn sat at the top of the stairs outside Freedon Nadd's tomb, attempting to meditate, but was continually interrupted by Bastila.

"Do you honestly thing a Jedi's going to come here? The Dark Side is strong here Revan. No Jedi would be dumb enough to come here, where your power is enhanced by the Dark Side of the tomb." Bastila said. She paced near Jake, while Jake sat with his legs folded, his hands resting softly on his knees.

"The Jedi are fools. They know they need to stop me, and will go to any lengths to do it. And let's face it, we need to be stopped." Jake said calmly.

Bastila glared at Jake. She didn't agree with that, but they'd already had that argument, many times, and neither one was going to changed the other's mind. "But, how to you expect to the Jedi to find you here? We didn't decide to come here until after we destroyed the Hapes enclave."

"That's how." Jake said, as he stood up. He pointed to a bald headed, dark skinned old man in brown Jedi robes. The only hair visible was a grey goatee.

"Jolee? Why would he come here?" Bastila asked.

"He was the one sent by the Council. No doubt they sent him here to see if I could be brought to the Light. Fools." Jake said.

As Jolee walked into the clearing outside Freedon Nadd's tomb, he saw Jake Katarn standing at the top of the stairs, apparently pointing at him. As he came closer, Jolee could see how different Jake had become. Instead of the clean shaven, neatly trimmed hair and clean appearance he had the last time he saw him, Jake was a mess. No longer caring about his appearance, Jake had allowed his hair to grow long, down to the back of his shoulders. He had a beard, though trimmed down to his face, that went from ear to ear, along with a mustache that attached to his chin. Also, his clothes as a Jedi were neat, clean and simple, but now Jake now wore dark, tattered clothes with what appeared to be armor underneath. When Jolee was near enough to hear, Jake spoke up.

"Jolee. I figured that the council would send you here." Jake accused Jolee.

"The council doesn't know about this meeting." Jolee said as he began climbing the stairs. "The only people who know I'm here are Juhani and Sylvar."

_Sylvar? _Jake thought. Bastila was quick to answer. "Sylvar was a Padawan during the Great Sith War. She's a Master now, but she fought alongside such famous Jedi like Nomi Sunrider, Tott Doneeta, and Cay Qel-Droma against Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma."

"So, why are you here?" Jake said, attempting to get back on track.

"I want to talk." Jolee said.

"You want to try to bring me back to the light, is that it? Not going to happen Jolee. I've come too far to return to the Jedi." Jake shot back at Jolee.

Why would I try to convince you to return to the Order? You have your reasons for leaving, as did I." Jolee said.

"They why are you here?" Jake asked.

"I want to know the reason why. I understand that vengeance for Bastila is part of it, but there's got to be more to it." Jolee said.

"Because the Jedi wronged me Jolee. The wiped me of my memories, and programmed me with a new identity. How would you feel if you suddenly found out that everything you know about yourself is wrong, created by some Jedi Master, all to be a solider meant to their bidding!" Jake said.

Jolee shrugged.

"Exactly. You don't know because it WON'T happen to you. I am the only person in the history of the Jedi Order that this has happened to! The Jedi did a great injustice to me!" Jake said. He looked right into Jolee's eyes. "We've all been wronged by the Order, but instead of running away like a scared Kath pup, I'm striking back!"

Jolee glared at Jake. "I'm going to let that last remark slide, because I know you didn't mean it. But let me ask you this; does it make you feel better to wipe out the Jedi? Does it allow Bastila to rest in peace? Or are you too consumed by the Dark Side that you don't even care anymore?"

Jake stood there for a moment, smiling a sadistic smile. "You've reached the heart of the matter Jolee. Does it make us feel better in our attempt to wipe out the Jedi? No. But during battle, we can forget. For that short while, the pain caused by the lives we're forced to live fades, leaving only the exhilaration of the slaughter."

Jolee sighed. He hadn't thought Jake had fallen this far. "Does Bastila feel the same way?"

"Well, that confirms you've been talking to Juhani." Jake said, rolling his eyes. "But, to answer your question, Bastila's even worse than I. My fall to the Dark Side was driven by my descent into madness. As such, some of who I was is retained because of moments of clarity. But Bastila, her fall was a conscious decision. Even now, she's screaming at me to kill you. But I won't kill you Jolee." Jolee watched Jake turn his head and start shouting at thin air. "No, I'm not going to kill him, so shut up about it! Look, I'm not about to kill my friends no matter how much you want me to! Yeah, and we need to be stopped one day! Oh, don't give me that! You know that it'll take someone with a Jedi's skill to even detain me! Look, we'll talk about this later! No, later!" Jake shook his head, and looked right at Jolee again. "Sorry, she gets like this sometimes."

"I couldn't see her Jake." Jolee shot right back.

"Really?" Jake said. "I figured that someone Force sensitive…. Never mind. I do have a request of you though. When I cross the line and fall completely to the Dark Side, and I know I will one day, I want you to promise me that it will be only my friends among the Jedi that come after me."

"And that would include?" Jolee asked, though he had a pretty good idea of who they were.

"You, Juhani and Yuthura Ban." Jake said.

The last name was a bit of a shock to Jolee. "Why Yuthura?" he asked.

"I know all of you will fight, but you and Juhani wouldn't fight to kill me. Juhani worships me as a hero, and wouldn't even conceive of killing me. You would see the necessity, but, as with Nayama, you wouldn't be able to kill a defenseless opponent. Only Yuthura would grant me release. Only Yuthura, who has intimate experience with the Dark Side, would see my reasoning behind my desire." Jake said.

"All right, I promise that if you fall that far, we'll be the ones to stop you." Jolee said.

"Thank you Jolee. Now, I need to get going. Canderous and HK are probably waiting for me, and I'm sure they want to know what's next." Jake said, putting out his hand. Jolee grabbed hit, and they shook hands. "I hope we meet again before you have to kill me."

As Jolee entered his ship after leaving the Tomb of Freedon Nadd and Jake Katarn behind, he thought about the promise he made to Jake. He wouldn't be able to kill Jake, that was a given. And neither would Juhani. He knew Juhani would not be pleased with the way this conversation went, and she would do everything she could to save Jake. But, by the way that Jake talked and moved, he had no desire to be redeemed. His only hope is that Yuthura would be as Jake expected, and do what needed to be done.


	8. Meeting with the Jedi Council

Upon touching down on the Jedi Temple landing pad, Jolee was immediately met by Yuthura Ban.

"What are you doing here Yuthura?" Jolee asked.

"I just finished helping the Republic bring down an intergalactic slaving ring. So, Juhani tells me that you met Jake Katarn. What happened?" Yuthura asked.

Jolee sighed. "Something that is going to affect all three of us. I'll bet the Jedi council knows of our meeting, right?" Jolee asked. Yuthura nodded. "Then I guess we should get Juhani and head up there, shouldn't we?"

"Why do you need Juhani and me?" Yuthura asked.

"Like I said, this news affects you, Juhani AND me. All three of us need to be there when I tell the council." Jolee said. He started off toward the building, before realizing something. "Where is Juhani, anyway?"

"Last I saw her, she was going to sit in on one of Sylvar's classes. It should be letting out soon." Yuthura said.

Juhani watched as the younglings left the class room after Sylvar's class. These younglings were between 4 and 10, old enough to bond with their families before being extracted by the Jedi Order. These younglings had powerful emotions because of this, and were given to Sylvar to help them deal with their anger.

"So, child, what did you think?" Sylvar asked.

"You're a good teacher Sylvar. Sometimes I wish you had been my teacher as a child." Juhani said.

Sylvar just grinned. It felt odd to get compliments like this from other Cathar, but since Juhani was raised on a human world, rather than Cathar, explained some of her strange behavior. "Thank you child." Sylvar said. Then, she noticed some familiar faces coming toward her. "Oh, look, your friends are here. I wonder what they want."

Juhani immediately looked behind her to see Jolee and Yuthura coming toward her. "Jolee!" Juhani said. "Your meeting…how did it go?"

Jolee shook his head. "Not good. Look, you, Yuthura and I need to see the Jedi council. What I've got to tell them will affect all three of us." Jolee said.

The Jedi council sat in their chamber, awaiting the news from Jolee Bindo about the Dark Jedi Jake Katarn. They knew about his return to the Republic, but it was a young Padawan who had overheard the conversation that Juhani, Sylvar and Jolee had. On this council were Vrook Lamar, Atris, Aleco Stusea, and Zhar Lestin. As soon as Jolee was outside the council chamber door, they noticed Jolee was with two others, Yuthura Ban and the Cathar Jedi Knight Juhani.

"We were wondering when you were going to come here Jolee." Vrook said, in his usual accusatory tone.

"Save it Vrook. Your 'everyone is on the path that leads to the Dark Side except me' is getting real old." Jolee shot back.

"We should expect nothing less from the man who trained his wife against the wishes of the council." Atris said.

"Aw, save it Atris. You weren't even born when I trained Nayama. I really don't want to hear that from a woman 30 years my junior." Jolee said. Moments like this made him regret returning to the Jedi Order.

It was Aleco Stusea that was able to get things back on track. "Vrook, Atris, I'm sure Jolee's comments were not intended to insult you. And Jolee, I'm sure Vrook's comments weren't meant to insult you either." She said. Atris and Vrook still glared at Jolee, and Jolee continued to glare right back.

"We would still like to know how your meeting with Revan went." Zhar interjected. He was eager to steer the conversation away from a raw issue between Jolee and Vrook. However, it didn't help either man's mood.

"Yes, I'd like to hear your answer on why you disobeyed our orders again. We were to be alerted to any information regarding Revan immediately." Vrook said.

Jolee just rolled his eyes. "First off, He's not Revan anymore. You and the Dantooine council saw to that. Second, I am a Jedi Master, same as you, and my agreement to rejoin the Order was that I can operate as I always have; independently. I deal with the council when what I am working on will affect the entire Order. At the time, I thought my conversation with Jake would have nothing to do with the rest of the Order."

"Nothing to do with the rest of the Order! That man wiped out the entire Hapes enclave! Anything that man does affects the rest of the order!" Atris shouted at Jolee.

"Regardless, my conversation with Jake allowed me to get some information that we wouldn't have gotten otherwise." Jolee said.

"Such as?" Zhar asked.

"Such as why he's doing this." Jolee said.

"The why is inconsequential. Revan must be stopped." Atris said.

"Oh, I agree, but for completely different reasons." Jolee said.

Juhani was shocked. _Jolee wants to kill Jake?_ She thought. _That can't be right._

"And what reasons are those?" Aleco asked.

"Jake is mentally unstable. With the reprogramming of his mind, the bond he and Bastila shared and the affect her death had on him facilitated his fall to the Dark Side. But there's still a part of him that's holding back, that's keeping him from falling completely to the Dark Side." Jolee explained.

"So, you think he can be redeemed? Wake up Jolee! The only reason he's still alive is because we needed the information inside his head to find the Star Forge!" Vrook shot at Jolee.

"If I may interrupt Master." Yuthura said. "No one is beyond hope of redemption. I was second-in-command of the Sith academy on Korriban, and you were among the council that allowed me to return."

Vrook grumbled under his breath. He didn't like the fact that there was evidence contrary to what he believed right in front of him. "So, what do you suggest Jolee?" he asked.

"We wait. We give him the chance to either redeem or condemn himself. And if he condemns himself, Yuthura, Juhani and I will move in on him." Jolee said.

"And what reason only the three of you? Jake has wiped out many, many Sith, in addition to the Masters on Hapes. If we send only the three of you, you probably won't be coming back." Aleco said.

"Master, if I may." Juhani interjected. Aleco nodded. Juhani took a deep breath and started speaking again. "Jolee and I both believe that if we are the ones sent, Jake would hold back. He would fight, but he would not fight to kill. After all, he could have easily killed me on Hapes, but he went out of his way to warn me to leave the enclave."

"And what would you suggest we do in the mean time! Just let him slaughter us until he decided to stop!" Atris shouted at them.

"Of course not. We should alert the enclaves around the galaxy to watch out for Jake Katarn, and be on their guard. Let them have a chance to fight back, and maybe a few of them will survive." Jolee said. "And until he either indicates he wants to be redeemed or he needs to be killed, we wait."

"And that's your plan?" Zhar asked.

"Yeah, that's my plan." Jolee said.

"While I do not like the fact that we must do nothing, but if we would send waves of Jedi after him to correct our mistake, we would only be throwing them to the Kath Hounds. Your plan is sound Jolee. We will wait and see what Jake does, and plan accordingly. Now, is there else you wish to say?" Zhar said.

"Nope, that's all of it." Jolee said.

"Then you may go, and may the Force be with you." Zhar said.

As Jolee, Juhani and Yuthura left the council chamber, Vrook spoke up.

"I don't like this. We're just supposed to let Revan rampage through our Order?" Vrook said.

"And what would you have done, Vrook? Be mindful of your feelings. Jake Katarn is not the same man that Revan was. Jake is far more skilled in combat than Revan was, and has a much stronger command of the Force. Sending waves of Jedi at him would only doom the Jedi we send." Aleco said.

"He walks a similar path that Revan did. He has fallen to the Dark Side as surely as Revan did!" Atris said.

"Maybe so. But it took a team of Jedi to subdue him last time, and if Jolee is correct, he wants to be stopped, but not right now. Let him do as he pleases so long as he doesn't hurt anyone besides Jedi." Zhar said.

"That's very cold Zhar, but also true. Jake has shown no desire to hurt anyone that is not either Sith or Jedi." Aleco said. "If that ever changes, however, then we must send those three after him."

"Then let us pray it doesn't come to that, and hope that what those three desire comes true." Vrook said.

Meanwhile, as Jolee, Juhani, and Yuthura took the turbolift down to the ground floor to the Jedi temple, Yuthura and Juhani were wondering what they were going to do next. It was Juhani who voiced that concern.

"Well, we should probably contact Carth Onasi. I'm sure someone within the fleet has seen the _Ebon Hawk_ somewhere, and Carth's the only one that we know that would be privy to that kind of information." Jolee said.

"And then what?" Yuthura asked.

"We go about out business until Carth contacts us. I'll let you both know when he responds." Jolee said.

"And I'll do the same if he contacts me." Yuthura said.

But Juhani didn't answer right away. Something was bothering her. _We may have to kill him…I don't know if I can do that._ She thought. She cared about Jake, deeply, but wasn't ready to admit how she really felt about him. She looked up at her friends, and noticed the concerned look on their faces.

"Are you all right, Juhani?" Yuthura asked.

"Fine." Juhani spat out. "I'll contact you two as well if Carth contacts me."

**Hours earlier, Mandalorian staging camp, Dxun…**

"So, how'd your meeting with that Jedi you were waiting on go?" Canderous asked. He had finished the assessment of the camp's systems.

"It went well. And Jolee walked away alive." Jake said.

Canderous stopped in his tracks. "Jolee? Why would he come?"

"He wanted to talk. He wanted to know why we are doing this." Jake said. "Come to think of it, Canderous, why are you doing this?"

"As I said before we destroyed the Star Forge, I'll follow you wherever you go. No matter where you go, no matter what you do, I will have a worthy battle." Canderous said.

"That can't be the only reason." Jake said. "I mean, you said yourself that this life was getting old."

"Yeah, I did. I guess it all comes down to regret. I regret that I won't get a chance to pass on what I know, what I've learned to a new generation of Mandalorians. When I'm with you, in battle against the Jedi, I can forget." Canderous said. He'd thought about his reasons for doing this ever since the destruction of the Star Forge, and this is what he'd come up with.

"You can still do that. I'm sure that you can find a woman from a warrior culture, and you can raise your children as Mandalorians." Jake said.

"Hmm. I've never thought of that. I'll look into that once your quest for revenge is over. But until then, I'm your man until the end, Revan, no matter what path you take." Canderous said.

"Statement: Master, it is good to see you unharmed, though I would have preferred coming with you. There are so many bestial meatbags wandering the jungle." HK-47 said, practically appearing behind Canderous and Jake so quiet was his approach.

"I appreciate your concern, HK, but I am a Dark Jedi, capable of killing multiple Jedi Masters at once without breaking a sweat." Jake said.

"Statement: Master, it is that kind of train of thought that could get you killed easier. Next time we head through the jungle, I insist you take me with you." HK-47 said.

"If that'll make you feel better…" Jake said to HK-47. He turned his attention back to Canderous. "So, what do we need to get this place operational?" Jake asked.

Canderous just laughed. "Revan, we're talking about 8 years of erosion and plant growth. It would take the four of us decades to get this place up to full capacity. Even then, it took over a hundred Mandalorians to run it."

"All right then, bare minimum! What do we need to get power, communications and sensors online!" Jake said. Rage built up inside of him at being laughed at. If he didn't need Canderous…

_No!_ Jake thought. _I will not allow myself to fall that far! I have to maintain the distinction between friend, innocent and enemy! If I don't, then I've let the Dark Side control me._

Seeing Jake's conflict within himself, Canderous quickly got back to business. "Well, for our power needs, we should head to a world where the Exchange holds sway."

"We are not going back to Mykr. Remember what happened last time?" Jake shot back at Canderous.

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. We're heading to Telos." Canderous said.

"Telos. Wait a minute, isn't Telos a Republic world? Won't they try to detain us?" Jake asked.

"Try is the word. You're an extremely powerful Dark Jedi, I'm a Mandalorian, and we've got an assassin droid and an astromech droid. If they try anything, you, HK and I can fight out way back to the _Hawk_, and T3 can slice into their computer systems and shut down their tractor beams and laser turrets. They won't be able to hold us." Canderous said.

"You've got a point there. All right then, we'll go for a supply run on Telos. Can we leave by sundown?" Jake asked.

"The droids and I have been making preparations to fly since doing our initial assessment of the camp. We should be ready in about four hours." Canderous said.

"Good. In the mean time, I'm going to hone my single-blade-and-double-blade-lightsaber-style." Jake said. He walked off toward a large clearing while Canderous and HK-47 headed over to the _Ebon Hawk_.


	9. Carth Confrontation

Carth sat at the bar of the cantina on Telos Citadel Station, waiting on his drink. After making Vice Admiral, Carth's responsibilities within the fleet grew immeasurably. Being the captain of the _Sojourn_, and his responsibilities of coordinating the operations of the fleet in this sector in addition to his desire to protect Telos made Carth a very tired man.

In addition to that, he had gotten a message from Jolee Bindo a few hours earlier, informing him of Jake's recent exploits. What happened on Hapes didn't seem like the Jake Katarn he knew, but while Jolee avoided issues that he didn't like talking about, he was no liar. And Jolee's conversation with Jake on Dxun was even more disturbing. The fact that Jake was wiping out the Jedi for no other reason than to run away from his pain was even more disturbing.

But the most disturbing thing of all was the last thing Jolee told him was that Jake wanted to die. _He's always taken crazy risks for as long as I've known him, but he always took care of himself._ Carth thought. _What happened to him?_

After bringing the _Ebon Hawk_ out of hyperspace, Canderous immediately contacted the Czerka dock officer. Through them, he knew he could get in contact with the Exchange. "Tell them Canderous Ordo is calling." Canderous said.

"You sure this'll work?" Jake asked.

"Of course. Czerka does business with the Exchange all over the galaxy. Find Czerka, and you'll find a way to contact the Exchange." Canderous said.

Before Jake could speak, a Quarren voice came over the communicator. "_Ah, Canderous Ordo. We've heard much of your recent exploits. What can the Bumani Exchange do for you?"_ The Quarren asked.

"We're looking to get a large power generator, no questions asked. Know where we can get one?" Canderous asked.

"_We don't have one here, but we can get one, provided you pay well." _The Quarren said.

"Oh, don't worry about that. Let us set down, and we can start negotiations." Canderous said.

"_Sounds good."_ The Quarren said._ "Come to the Bumani Exchange in Residential Module 082. We'll see you there."_

"Good." Jake said as he turned the comm off. "You can deal with the haggling, and I can go to the cantina and have a few drinks."

"Hey, I hate these kinds of talks too, but I don't run away from them when we need something." Canderous said.

"Look, no matter how much I look and sound like him, I'm not Revan. I may have his charisma, but I don't have his negotiation skills. Remember what happened to Sunry on Manaan?" Jake said.

"Heh. Having you as his arbiter was the best thing for the Sith case and their desire to see him dead for killing Elasa. The only reason **you** got off in **your** trial was because of that Sith datapad that told about their plans to use the Selkath youth to conquer Manaan." Canderous said, remembering Sunry's trial.

"Exactly. Having me there would be counterproductive. I'll just sit in the cantina, have a few drinks, and you can come and get me when you're done." Jake said.

Canderous landed the _Ebon Hawk_ in the Czerka docks, but when they exited the dock, Canderous, Jake, HK-47 and T3-M4 were met by the Telos Security Forces.

"We have been ordered to bring you in for questioning," One of the TSF officers said.

"Says the lady to the Dark Jedi, Assassin droid, Mandalorian and astromech droid equipped with semi-legal weaponry. Do you have any idea what the four of us are capable of?" Jake said.

The 10 members of the TSF just stood there. "Didn't think so." Jake said. "Let me clue you in. You know how easily the Republic has been taking back the Sith worlds?" Instantly, they realized what Jake was talking about. "Yeah, that was us. Now think, if we wiped out an entire planet's worth of Sith, do you think we would think twice about wiping out you guys if you try to stop us?"

"Statement: Master, I do love it when you are forceful with our enemies." HK-47 said with glee.

As the TSF officers left, Jake turned around to face Canderous, HK-47 and T3-M4. "All right, HK, T3, you two go with Canderous. HK, I want you there because to the Exchange, the presence of an assassin droid will put a lot of fear into their heads. And as much as you want to keep me safe, you're needed more to inspire fear in the cowards of the Exchange." Jake said. "I'm going to go to the cantina and have a few drinks. And HK, not a word. I've got two lightsabers and a blaster. I can take care of myself. Everyone understand their orders?"

Canderous nodded, and the droids showed their own confirmation. "Then move out."

Carth took a sip from his drink when he heard a familiar voice next to him. "Corellian Ale." The voice said. Carth turned his head to see the man he had been thinking about; Jake Katarn. To say that Carth was a little apprehensive would be an understatement. On one hand, Jake was the best friend he had in years. Jake saved Dustil from the Dark Side, and he helped him learn to trust again. But on the other hand, he was killing Jedi and Sith alike, for nothing other than a desire for revenge. Carth would need to approach this conversation carefully, less he end up with a lightsaber at his throat.

He didn't have to make the first move. "Carth. I figured I might run into you here. Although, I wasn't exactly counting on it."

"Jake." Carth said. He was being very careful with choosing his words. Carth knew Jake could choke the life out of him with a thought, but he hoped Jake had not fallen so far as to do that to one of his friends. "It's been, what, three years?"

Jake picked up his drink. "Thanks." He said to the bartender. He turned his attention back to Carth. "Yeah, three years. I see you've made some rank since then. Vice Admiral. Nice work."

"Thanks." Carth said. _How do I approach this? _He thought. _I'll just go right out and say it._ "I've heard about what you've been doing."

Jake took a sip from his drink. "I don't doubt it. You going to judge me too? If so, I'm not in the mood."

"No, I'm not going to judge you. I know all about a desire for revenge." Carth said. He took a sip from his drink. "And Jolee already told me about Bastila."

"Then why'd you bring it up?" Jake asked.

"Look, I know they've done you wrong, but the Jedi have done so much more good than bad." Carth said.

_I knew this would come sooner or later. The old 'Bastila argument', where someone tells me why the Order is so much better than the alternative._ "You know Carth, you're one of the few non-Jedi who would tell me that. After what Revan and Malak did after the Mandalorian Wars, most people see anyone who uses a lightsaber and wields the Force as Jedi, whether light or dark." Jake took a sip from his drink. "Frankly, I think the galaxy would be better off without Jedi or Sith. No more Jedi arrogance, no more psychotic Sith. Wouldn't the galaxy be a better place with out the Jedi or Sith? No more wars started by Jedi, no more Jedi destroying half the galaxy, and no more Jedi to leave the Republic hanging."

"How can you say that? I mean, didn't the Jedi save your life? Doesn't that mean something to you?" Carth said.

"And then they reprogrammed me as their slave. Anything I owed them was wiped away with that action. The galaxy doesn't need Jedi arrogance or Jedi hypocrisy anymore!" Jake said.

Carth sighed. He wasn't going to get through to Jake, not like this. So Carth decided to pull out the last thing he could think of. "You know, Dustil's a Jedi now."

"Really?" Jake said as he brought his drink up to his mouth. "Then he'd better not get in my way."

That set Carth off. He grabbed a hold of Jake's shirt, spilling Jake's drink all over them both, and threw Jake against the wall. "You stay the hell away from my son, you frackin' psycho!" Carth shouted into Jake's face.

"You're making a scene, Onasi. And you might want to let go of me before something bad happens to you." Jake said.

Carth slowly looked down from Jake's face to see a blaster pistol aimed at his groin. He let Jake go, and noticed he had liquor all over his uniform. He tried wiping some of it off, but it had already made a large stain.

"That's better." Jake said as he put his blaster back in his leg holster. "I tell you what Carth. I have no doubt that Dustil was trained like Jolee and those before him, given the fact that Dustil was sixteen when he left the Sith. So I'll spare him, for now." Jake looked down at his own clothes, and noticed the spilt liquor. "I'll also forgive you for spilling my drink. For now, I think we both need a change of clothes. You more so than me, given the fact that you need to maintain that military image."

"Right." Carth said, regain his composure. "I think we both need to get out of here. I've got a ton of paperwork to do, and you've probably got your own things to do."

Jake extended his hand. "It was good seeing you again." Jake said.

Carth grabbed ahold of Jake's hand and shook it. "Good seeing you too. Take care." As they both left the cantina, Carth's head was filled with a lot of questions. Would Jake had really shot him if he hadn't let go of Jake? Would he really kill Dustil if Dustil got in his way? So many questions, not enough answers. But Carth had other things to worry about, like his military responsibilities. He also needed to contact Jolee and let him know about this unintentional meeting.

Canderous finished up his negotiations with Lopak Slusk, the Exchange boss for this sector, but before he could leave, he was given a message from Revan to meet him at the hanger instead of the cantina. _Great, what'd he do now?_ Was the first thing that popped into Canderous' head. He didn't have long to wait, because once Canderous got to the Czerka hanger, he saw Revan leaning against the wall in a different set of clothes. "Let me guess; you got in a fight, and either blood or booze was spilt."

"Well, you're half right. Booze was spilled, but not because I got in a fight." Jake said, grinning slightly.

"Then what was it?" Canderous asked.

"I got in an argument with Carth. I said something that really pissed him off, so he grabbed ahold of me and slammed me into the wall. In the process, the drink I had in my hand was spilt." Jake said.

"Carth is here? Huh. I haven't seen him in a while. I'd like to catch up with him, if given the chance." Canderous said.

"Well, I'm sure you'll have no problem finding a Vice Admiral of the Republic fleet. Anyway, how'd your meeting go?" Jake asked.

"The generator is going to cost us 50,000 credits, but it's going to take them four days to get it here. We can make use of a Czerka-paid apartment until it gets here." Canderous said.

"Good." Jake said, producing a bottle of Corellian Ale. "Since I didn't get to drink my fill, I bought this on my way out. You can take me to the apartment, leave HK, and go ahead and see Carth. I'm sure he'd love to see you as much as you'd love to see him."

A few hours later, Carth was doing some of the paperwork that came with his rank when he got a message that someone was outside the military quad. "Says his name's Canderous Ordo." The solider said.

_Canderous is here too?_ Carth thought. "Escort him to me, and confiscate any weapons he has on him." He said. Even he was a slave to procedure. Canderous fought alongside him during the final battles of the Jedi Civil War, and was one of the closest friends Carth had in recent years, but he still needed to follow the escort and weapon removal procedures.

"Canderous. Good to see you again. Sorry about taking your weapons, but it's just one of those things we've got to do." Carth said.

"No problem Carth. One of the Mandalorian customs state that when going to see meet with other clans, all weapons are left outside, to ensure good faith from both parties." Canderous said.

"Then here." Carth said, taking off his gun belt. "As a way to show good faith to you, I will place this on the table, right where we both can see it." He set his blasters, and saw Canderous show a small grin of approval. "So, what brings you here?"

"Revan and I were getting a power generator. Gotta stay here for a few days until it gets delivered." Canderous said.

"I'm guessing that the Exchange is delivering it." Carth said.

"Come on Carth, what legal channels would get us what we need, no questions asked?" Canderous said with a grin.

"Got a point." Carth said. It was good to see this Mandalorian again. Canderous had changed Carth's views on the Mandalorians, and while he didn't agree with everything Canderous believed, he had a newfound respect for Canderous and his people. "So, what brings you here? Come to catch up, or is it something else?"

"It's about Revan. He told me about what happened in the cantina, and I wanted to discuss something with you." Canderous said.

"Well, what is it?" Carth said.

"Well, since the Star Forge, Revan has been battling the Dark Side, his mental instability and, according to him, the ghost of Bastila. And for three years, he's been doing a good job of holding back the worst of it. Until recently." Canderous said.

"Well, what happened to change that?" Carth asked.

"I don't know what happened, but he's losing the battle. For three years, he's been able to hold onto the Jake Katarn we met on Taris, but lately, ever since we found that datapad with the Hapes enclave on it, Jake has been losing the battle within himself. And he know it." Canderous said.

"So, what now? What are you going to do?" Carth asked.

"Nothing. Jake is more powerful than Revan ever was, and Revan defeated Mandalore in single combat. I'd have no chance to stop him." Canderous said. "But you do. You have connections to the Jedi Order, and more importantly, to the old man and the Cathar. They're the ones who are going to have to stop him, who can stop him."

"Well, Jolee asked me to inform him of any information I have on Jake. And with what you just told me, the situation is direr than what I thought. I'll send Jolee a message as soon as you leave." Carth said. Almost as an after thought, he added, "Where are you guys heading next?"

"Toydaria. We're going to see if we can get some sensor equipment there. Why do you want to know?" Canderous asked.

"Remember Yuthura Ban?" Carth asked. Canderous shook his head. "She was a Twi'lek Sith master at the academy on Korriban. Jake was able to get her to turn her back on the Dark Side and return to the Jedi." Carth paused for a moment, to let all that sink in. "Well, she spends a lot of time in Hutt space, she might be there."

"Well, maybe she can get some more information out of Revan than I can, given the fact that she can use the Force, and has touched the Dark Side." Canderous said. He sighed, and then said, "Well, it was good seeing you again Carth. I hope I can talk to you later."

"Yeah, that'd be nice." Carth said. Both men stood up, shook hands, and as Canderous left he room, Carth put his blaster belt back on. Immediately after, he started on his message to Jolee. There was a lot of new information he needed to know.


	10. Losing Control

Jake sat on the bed in the apartment that Canderous got for them, and had been drinking from the time that Canderous left him there to the time Canderous got back. During that time, with the help of the booze, he was able to drown out the dark voice that was telling him to kill everyone. But it couldn't drown out Bastila. Though, thankfully, Bastila wasn't always psychotic. At times like this, she tried comforting her man.

"You don't need to drink to forget, Revan. There are other ways to do that." Bastila said.

"There's only three ways I know of that'll help me forget. Battle, drinking and sex. And since you're dead, that rules out choice three. And I'm not about to pick a fight in the Republic. So, that only leaves choice number two." Jake said. He took a large swig from the bottle as Bastila looked on, frowning.

"I just don't like seeing you like this. You look like you're in so much pain." Bastila said, sitting down next to Jake.

"I am. If I'm not dealing with that psychotic voice in my head, I go into a depressive state, wallowing in sorrow over what we've done. I wonder if Revan ever got like this…" Jake said.

"I doubt it. Revan was whole. His mind was his own, while yours was built by the Jedi council. And the since the Jedi council were just people, they can make mistakes, and can forget some very important things." Bastila said.

"Another reason to hate my life." Jake said. He took another big swig of his liquor. "Bastila, do you ever regret anything we've done?"

"No." Bastila said.

"Of course. You fell completely to the Dark Side. You aren't fighting a fractured psyche and dark influences at the same fracking time." Jake said.

"Not completely. My fate was tied to yours. I'd have gladly returned to the light, had you said the right words." Bastila said.

"Frack. Why am I only finding this out now? Why didn't I think of telling you how much I loved you back then?" Jake said.

"I doubt you thought it would work, given what I said on top of the temple." Bastila said.

**Three years earlier, on top of the Temple of the Ancients on Rakata Prime…**

"Do not mistake the power of the Force for love, Revan. It does not exist. Power is what forged our bond, and power is what made us both tools of the Jedi Council!" Bastila said.

Jake recoiled in shock. "So you don't believe in love anymore?" He spat out meekly.

"I... I don't. The only Revan I could respect is one who would break free of the Council's slavery." Bastila said acidly. "One who would grasp the power that lies before him... not the weak fool I see."

**Present day…**

"If I'd have known you were lying through your teeth that day, if I hadn't been reeling from your words, I'd have been able to save you." Jake said. "Now, your existence is torture to me." He grabbed for Bastila's hand, but when it passed through her, a single tear welled up inside his eye and slowly trickled down his face.

_So, this is his true face._ Bastila thought. _Without the dark rage battering him, he's just a sad, broken man._

"I'm losing Bastila." Jake blurted out. "The dark influence, the rage, are starting to take over. For the longest time, I could bleed off it off during battle, leaving the hate and rage on the battlefield. I can't do that anymore."

"So, that's why you yelled at me about killing Jolee. You were fighting your dark influence, and with me shouting in your ear….I'm so sorry Revan." Bastila said.

"Yeah. I don't want to become a human HK-47, caring only about the slaughter, hating all life in the galaxy." Jake said with pain in his voice. "I need you to help me stay me."

At that moment, some of what Bastila was returned, and she realized how much her dark actions and thoughts had hurt the man she loved. She resolved at that moment to support him, not belittle him, to strengthen him, not erode his will.

"I'll do what I can." Bastila said softly. She put her cold arm around Jake, and for once, Jake didn't shudder at her cold touch.

"Thank you Bastila." Jake said. "I'm just afraid that one day, I'm going to do something that we'll all regret. And from there, there'll be no turning back. I'll have to be stopped."

As Jake continued his self loathing, he didn't notice Canderous enter the room with HK-47. Jake registered Canderous' presence through the Force, but consciously, he didn't notice Canderous was there until Canderous spoke.

"You all right?" Canderous asked.

"No. I haven't been all right since I killed Bastila on the Star Forge." Jake said.

_Great, he's drunk again._ Canderous thought. _At least we've got time for this, this time._ "How much have you had?" He asked.

Jake lifted up the bottle so he could see how much liquid was left. His eyes grew wide at how much he drank. Out of a 1.5 liter bottle, Jake had drunk 1 liter. "Damn." Was all Jake could see. "Guess I'll need more if we're going to be here for four days."

"Revan, I've only been gone for two hours. How could you drink that much?" Canderous asked.

"Like this." Jake said. He put the bottle up to his lips, and downed another tenth of a liter.

Canderous would have laughed, if it wasn't happening to Revan. The man who defeated his people reduced to this. And the worst part was this was becoming more and more frequent.

"Look, you need to get some sleep. HK can continue to watch you while T3 and I get some things from the _Ebon Hawk_." Canderous said.

"Sleep…sleep is good. Another way to temporarily escape the dark voice in my head." Jake said. He pulled off his coat, and gave his lightsaber belt to his assassin droid. He also took off his thigh holster and handed it to the droid as well. "Put these where I can find them when I wake up. I'll see you all in the morning."

Canderous and T3-M4 left the apartment, leaving Jake and HK-47 behind. On the way to the hanger, T3-M4 beeped out a comment.

"Yeah, I'm worried about him too. If he isn't fighting his psychotic urges, he's in a depressive state. I'm always up for a worthy battle, but Revan is battling something I couldn't begin to understand. Whatever he's fighting, it's in his head. And from the looks of him, he's losing that battle." Canderous said to the small droid.

T3-M4 beeped out a sad reply.

"There's nothing we can do. We can't help him, because we can't get inside his head. Only a Jedi, or Sith, could help him, with their connection to the Force. But after what the Jedi did to him, I know that he won't let anyone inside his head." Canderous said.

As Canderous and T3-M4 headed up the loading ramp, T3-M4 beeped out a question.

"Just some sobriety pills I picked up on Vjun. Makes you as sober as a Jedi Master." Canderous said. "Of course, they burn going down, and leave a vomit-tasting aftertaste that'll last for over an hour."

T3-M4 beeped out a question as he plugged into the Ebon Hawk's computer.

"Because, even though I'll need him sober, I still want him to pay for his drinking somehow. And these pills are the best way to do it." Canderous said. "By the way, what are you doing anyway?"

T3-M4 beeped out an answer.

"Diagnostics. Make sure you see if we need fuel as well. We're going to be hauling a lot of weight between leaving here and returning to Dxun." Canderous said.

T3-M4 beeped out a confirmation, while Canderous went to his quarters. He too, kept trophies of his past battles, but he never took anything that would hinder another warrior's passing into their next plane of existence. Though Canderous knew of the existence of the Force, he had seen what Revan was capable of, he didn't completely understand it. So, he fell back on his own beliefs. When a warrior died in a worthy battle, their soul went to something called "Valhalla." A warrior that went to Valhalla would get the greatest food, greatest drink and most beautiful women, (or, in the case of a female warrior, men), and be able to continue to fight glorious battles for the rest of his existence. Every Mandalorian's desire was to reach Valhalla, to gain the honor and glory to be worthy of it. Following Revan, fighting the Jedi and the Sith, Canderous was sure he'd go there, but he was worried about Revan. Whether the Jedi's "becoming one with the Force" was anything like his own beliefs, he didn't know. But Canderous did know one thing; Revan wasn't worthy of either. Revan was spiraling down toward blind rage, madness and depravity. And that was unbecoming of a warrior, and not worthy of a man like Revan. Revan needed that chance to have one final, glorious battle, so if he didn't "become one with the Force", he would at least have a spot in Valhalla.

Jake woke up the next morning, and was immediately bombarded by the dark voice. **_How could you let Carth get away with that? Kill him! Make him pay for insulting you! And when you're done with him, kill his son in the most painful way possible!_** The voice shouted.

"No!" Jake shouted, clutching his head. "Carth is my friend! I won't hurt him! Leave me alone!"

**_What kind of a friend would threaten you? He deserves anything you can do to him!_** The voice shouted at him, slowly increasing in intensity.

"No, no! Leave me alone!" Jake screamed. He would have fallen off the bed if Bastila hadn't put her hand on his shoulder. "Revan, calm down! I'm here. I'll always be here for you." She said. Jake looked up at her ghostly face, and was able to get up some mental defenses.

**_So, your woman is your anchor now? How long will it be before she succumbs to the dark temptations again?_** The voice said slyly.

By this time, Jake was breathing heavily. The only reason he hadn't given in to the dark voice was Bastila bringing him back from the edge. But with both of them fighting the influences of the Dark Side, Jake didn't know how much longer he could hold on.

"Thank you." Jake said. "You brought me back from the edge. Thank you."

Bastila looked at Jake with sorrow on her face. _ All those times I screamed at him to kill, to wipe out enemies from the face of the galaxy has turned him into this. He's like a scared child._ She thought.

**Four days later, on Nar Shaddaa….**

Yuthura Ban had just received the message from Jolee Bindo. "Toydaria, huh?" She said. "That's on my list of planets to check out anyway. Maybe I'll meet Jake there, and he can tell me his story."


	11. Road to endgame

Jake sat in a cantina, having a few drinks while Canderous dealt with the haggling. They had arrived on Toydaria five hours earlier, and Jake had been drinking ever since. To keep drinking, Jake continued to use the Force to rid his body of the alcohol before it poisoned him, but leaving enough to drown out the dark voice.

Yuthura Ban entered the cantina, looking to get something to eat and a few drinks before heading off to bed. Her day was a long one, searching for the slaving ring that caused her to be in the ownership of Omeesh the Hutt. Though she knew she had to work slowly, and allow the Republic to take care of the slavers, her desire never left her. She would take down these slavers, but she would allow the law to handle how they were punished.

Looking around the cantina, Yuthura saw a scraggly looking man, but with a presence in the Force she recognized. She walked up to the bar, ordered her drink, and sat down. From there, she could take a closer look. But she didn't have the chance, because the man spoke up.

"Three of my old friends in a matter of weeks. And the one I most wanted to talk to this time." Jake said. He turned his head to face Yuthura. "So, what brings you to Toydaria?"

"I'm tracking down the slaving ring that put me in the hands of Omeesh the Hutt. I'm working slowly, contacting the Republic with every lead I get. What brings you here?" Yuthura asked.

"Canderous said he was getting some sensor equipment. While he's dealing with that, I'm here drinking, trying to drown out the dark voice in my head." Jake said.

"You mean Bastila?" Yuthura asked.

"No. Bastila's there, but there's another, truly dark voice inside my head. I think that my mental instability has caused the Dark Side to have a voice inside my head. And from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to sleep, it's shouting at me." Jake said. He took a sip of his drink. "But, I've found two definite ways to shut him up for a while."

"And those are?" Yuthura asked.

"Battle and drinking. And since I'm not about to pick a fight unless there's a Jedi or Sith, present company excluded, my only choice is killing brain cells." Jake said. He grinned slightly at his comment.

"You do know that there are techniques within the Force that allow you remove alcohol from your system, right?" Yuthura said.

"'Course I do. How do you think I survive five hours of nonstop drinking?" Jake said, in a manner-of-fact tone.

"You've been drinking for the past five hours?" Yuthura said. To say she was surprised was an understatement. This didn't seem like the Jake Katarn she knew, but she had only known him for a few days on Korriban. She shook those thoughts out of her head, and noticed Jake was waiting for something. It almost seemed like Jake wanted Yuthura to initiate a conversation topic.

"You look like something's bothering you. Care to talk about it?" Yuthura said. She wanted to approach this carefully. She knew she was in no danger, after what Jolee told her, but she wanted Jake to tell her what was wrong, in his own words. And she wanted him to want to tell her.

Jake sighed. _There's no escaping it._ He thought. He had to tell Yuthura, or he would never get another chance. "I want to die." He said, softly.

Yuthura was shocked. "What?" Was the only thing that came out of her mouth.

"I can't escape the voice anymore. I am losing the fight, and one day, I'm going to do something really stupid, and that's going to cost me more than I want it to." Jake said. "And, when that happens, the Jedi are going to have to kill me."

"So, why don't you kill yourself? Put your lightsaber to your chin, and turn it on?" Yuthura said. With her experience as a Sith, she knew that one couldn't be redeemed with out first having the desire to be redeemed, even if that desire was subconscious. With Jake's desires as they were, he didn't want to be redeemed, even subconsciously. But the teachings of the Jedi were to help those that needed help, and to alleviate the pain of others. And Jake was in pain.

But Jake only rolled his eyes. "If I could have, I would have. But apparently, the Jedi council programmed into me a stronger will to live then they wanted. In fact, I doubt that I could let someone kill me without a fight."

"Which explains why you want Jolee, Juhani and me to come after you." Yuthura said.

"Because you three won't bring me back. You won't take me back to the Jedi council to have my mind wiped again." Jake said. The next words were as soft as he could make then, yet still able to be heard. "You'll grant me the release I desire."

"That's what this is all about?" Yuthura asked. "You're afraid that the council will wipe your mind again?"

"Why wouldn't they?" Jake asked. "I'm too dangerous to lock up, and the Jedi don't kill their prisoners. Their only choice would be to mind wipe me and cut me completely off from the Force. It's the only fitting punishment for a mistake."

"A mistake?" Yuthura asked.

"Yeah. A mistake. When the Jedi council rebuilt my mind they made plenty of mistakes. They placed facts, but no emotion. Do you have any idea what its like to remember a first love, but have no emotional attachment whatsoever?" Jake asked.

Yuthura thought back to her own first love, a young Twi'lek boy named Jor'secura, who was killed by Omeesh for tripping when he had the worm's food. Jor made a huge mess, and was executed for his incompetence, at least, according to the Hutt. As the memory faded, Yuthura realized that Jake was right, there was emotion attached to her memories.

"No," Yuthura said. "I don't. I have emotional attachments to my memories, as one would expect."

"And you didn't spend your whole life in the Jedi Order either." Jake said, and then grumbled at his answer. "And another thing. None of my memories are real. Everything I am is a lie. Everyone I've ever known, everyone I've ever cared about are dust. Only the people I've known for the past three years are real!"

"I guess I couldn't even begin to understand what you're going through." Yuthura said.

"No one could. And the Jedi council thinks I would walk right in to the Coruscant council chambers and ask for forgiveness? Eh EH, ain't gonna happen!" Jake said defiantly. "The only way I'm going into that place is if I can kill those bastards." Jake looked down at the chronometer on his wrist. "Look, I need to meet up with Canderous. But before I go, I want to give you something."

Yuthura was apprehensive with that sentence. But her fears were put to rest as Jake dug something out of his pocket. "What is it?"

"It's a holocube. It's kinda like a holographic diary. I've recorded a message to all of my friends. Look at it when I finally go off the edge." Jake said. He turned around, but before heading out the door, he said one more thing. "Goodbye Yuthura. I wish I didn't have to put you in the position I'm putting you in, but I know you're the only one who will grant me my wish."

As Jake walked out the door, Yuthura stared at the holocube Jake gave her. Jake's words, to look at it when he finally went over the edge, echoed in her mind. She knew that Jake wanted her to be the one to end his life. Both Juhani and Jolee were either too emotionally attached, or in Jolee's case, unable to kill a helpless man. But Yuthura knew that Jake wouldn't be helpless. He would fight to the death, and would force them to do the same. And she would grant him that wish, grant him an honorable end.

As Jake returned to the hanger where the Ebon Hawk, he saw Canderous and T3-M4 loading the sensor equipment onto the ship. "Need any help?" Jake asked.

"Nope. Ship's all loaded up. Just need to head back to Dxun and set everything up." Canderous said.

"You got the other supplies as well?" Jake asked.

"Yep. We can head on home, as soon as the ship's been refueled. And that should be done in about 30 minutes." Canderous said.

"All right then. I'll go prep the Hawk for take off. Once you're in the cockpit, we'll head out." Jake said.

45 minutes later, Canderous and Jake were sitting in the cockpit, watching the hyperspace lines.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Canderous asked.

"Well, we could head to a heavily populated world, like Corellia, and hold some important people hostage. That'll bring Jedi to us, instead of us having to hunt them." Jake said. "And, with Corellia being the trade hub it is, they'll have to send some Jedi, if nothing more than to save face with the Republic."

"The only problem with that idea is; who are we going to hold hostage? We don't exactly know much about planetary politics." Canderous said.

"We'll find that out once we get there. For now, though, we should concentrate on getting Dxun up and running." Jake said.


	12. Dark voice takes over

It took three months of hard work to get the Dxun outpost up and running, but once it was done, Jake and Canderous had a working base of operations. Jake wiped some sweat from his brow, and smiled. "It's not much, but at least we've got power and sensors." He said.

"Yeah." Canderous said. He could see in Jake's eyes that he wanted to get the invasion of Corellia over with, and the sooner the better. "So, how are we going to hit Corellia?"

"Let's pull up the map and see." Jake said. He and Canderous started off, as Jake looked around at all the work that still needed to be done. Computer systems had to be repaired or replaced. Foliage needed to be torn down from around the buildings, and millions of kilograms of wires needed to be repaired. But Jake had a feeling that they would never get to those things. That he was just stalling, putting off his trip to Corellia. Because, once they got to Corellia, Jake feared something would cause him to lose control. "You're having a premonition" Bastila had told him. And Jake realized that. And he wanted to stop whatever darkness that was going to befall him. But he couldn't. He knew he was losing, and he couldn't stop what was going to happen, no matter how much he wanted to.

As Jake and Canderous entered the map room, T3-M4 pulled up a map of Corellia. "All right," Jake said. "We want to strike an urban metropolis, and there are only four places where on the planet like that. Coronet, Kor Vella, Daoba Guerfel, and Bela Vistal." Jake pulled up one of the larger cities. "The best one for our purposes will be Coronet. And, while Corellia is a monarchy, the king will still have aides. We can capture one of the aides, and hold him until the Jedi send someone."

Canderous nodded in agreement. "So, how do we find out which aide to kidnap? We're not exactly up on Corellian politics."

"HK-47 can masquerade as a bodyguard droid, and you can get yourself a job as a member of the security teams at the crowning of King Danetta a Solo. Find a bumbling, foolish and weak aide, and have HK tail him." Jake said.

"Query: Should I initiate assassination protocols toward this aide, Master?" HK-47 asked.

"If those protocols have an 'observe' function, fine. But don't kill him. If it comes to that point where we need him dead after the Jedi come, THEN, and only then, can you kill him." Jake said. He noticed the droid seemed to find some little bit of you from Jake's words.

Canderous, however, had his own concerns. "And where are you going to be? Drinking again?"

"No," Jake said. "I'll be hunting Jedi."

"How?" Canderous asked. "How are you going to hunt Jedi when HK and I need to help you lure them there?"

"I have no doubt that there will be two or three Jedi there, if nothing more than to maintain appearances. The Jedi Order still has to show that it cares about the Republic. And what better way than to guard the coronation of Corellia's king?" Jake said.

Well, it seems you have everything figured out." Canderous said.

"Yep. For now, though, we should get the ship loaded up and then get some rest. I want to leave ASAP tomorrow." Jake said.

As Jake, Canderous, T3-M4, and HK-47 loaded the ship, Bastila took a visible form next to Jake. "You can feel it too, can't you?" she said.

"Yeah," Jake whispered. "Our next stop on the road to my end is on Corellia."

"What do you think will happen?" Bastila asked.

I don't know. You got any theories?" Jake asked.

"No. Do you?" Bastila asked.

"Maybe, but I don't really want to consider it." Jake said.

Bastila sighed. "Revan, don't. This is not a time for secrets. If you know something, tell me."

"I guess I should tell someone." Jake said. "I've had a vision, but it was very cloudy. Something's going to happen involving a girl. She was kind of short, about 17. I couldn't see what species she was though."

A few days later, the Ebon Hawk touched down in Coronet, and as was expected, security was tight. But they were almost thrilled that Canderous volunteered to enhance security. And they felt that having another bodyguard droid around to assist the security team was a blessing as well. They weren't too sure about Jake, but with a little help from the Force, Jake assured them that he was only here to watch the coronation, and wouldn't cause any trouble. But, before they could go their separate ways, Jake told Canderous and HK-47 to meet back at the Ebon Hawk at sundown.

As Jake walked away from the space port, he noticed someone familiar. She was a little short, at least by Twi'lek standards, but her youth could attribute to that. She had an athletic build, mostly from her harsh upbringing. She wore black top, cut right under her chest, all to show off a naval ring. She wore a gray vest, a black armband and a strange headdress, colored near black. She had on a set of gray pants, with thigh high black boots. It was Mission Vao, the young Twi'lek who, three years earlier, got on his nerves one too many times.

**_Do it! Kill the little schutta!_** The voice said. It was screaming at him, louder and more intense than before.

_No! I can't!_ Jake shot back, but he knew he couldn't last. This was the perfect time for the dark voice to strike at him, and it knew it. Jake's irritation at Mission was a weak point in his armor against the voice, and it would play that card to force Jake to do what it wanted.

**_She weaseled her way into your group! She deserved to be left on Taris!_** The voice shouted. It was slowly tearing down Jake's resistance, pulling at every string it could find.

_No! She was just a kid, and needed our help!_ Jake shot back, but he didn't believe it one bit. He hated everything that Mission put him through, her ridiculous suggestions, her irritating voice.

**_You don't believe that! The only reason you didn't get rid of her was that Jedi code and the Jedi programming! _** The voice said. It knew that Jake's hatred of the Jedi council and what they'd done to him was an effective weapon.

_She was useful then. Her skills got us out of quite a few jams._ Jake was trying to fight back, but he couldn't last very long. In his eyes, Mission didn't have the redeeming qualities that Canderous, Yuthura, Jolee, Carth and Juhani had. He had nothing to work with to defend her, and he couldn't hear Bastila over the voice. He was alone, and he was losing.

**_She's useless now. Why allow her to continuing to waste space?_** The voice said, nonchalantly.

"I….I…." Jake said, panting. He blinked once, and his normally brown eyes had turned yellow.

"Revan!" Bastila shouted at Jake. "Tell me what's wrong!"

"**Nothing now Bastila**." Jake said. But his voice was different. Instead of his normal, charismatic voice, it became dark, gravely, and almost evil. "**Look over there**." He said, pointing to Mission.

"Yes, I can see Mission. Are you going to talk to her?" Bastila asked, not knowing where Jake was going with this.

"**No**," Jake said. "**But you'll see what I'm planning**."

Bastila watched Jake use a Force technique he shouldn't know, the ability to camouflage himself with the Force. He disappeared from view, and the only reason Bastila knew where he was because of their bond. Jake started off toward Mission, stalking her, trying to lead her into a place where he could kill her quietly, and put her in as much fear as he could.

Mission noticed something watching her almost immediately. She scanned the area, but she didn't see anything. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched, however. She left the space port, and started walking back toward her hotel, but couldn't shake the feeling she was having. She turned into a back alley, a shortcut she had used many times between the day she had landed until now, and suddenly felt a wave of fear come over. She started into a jog, then a full blown run, but couldn't escape this presence. Unfortunately for Mission, she took a wrong turn, and found herself at a dead end. It was at that moment the presence revealed itself. Though looking slightly different, she recognized that it was Jake Katarn. She was slightly relieved, but was still afraid for some reason. _Calm down Mission. Out of everyone that could be following you, you're safest with Jake._ "Jeez Jake, you scared the poodoo out of me!" She said, as calmly and confidently as possible.

"**Ah, Mission. I never thought I'd see you again. But a chance coincidence on Corellia changed that.**" Jake said.

"Is something wrong with you? You sound different." Mission said. But with Jake's next words, Mission realized just why she still felt that fear.

"**You got on my nerves one too many times during the Jedi Civil War," **Jake said, activating his single bladed violet lightsaber. "**And now you're going to pay for it."**

"Revan, what are you doing?" Bastila shouted at Jake. "She's an innocent girl!"

**_Shut up Bastila! I've wanted to do this for a long time!_** The dark voice shouted through the bond.

Bastila jumped back. Jake had never shouted at her like that. She would have gotten upset, had she not remembered the talk she and Jake had a few days earlier on Dxun. _His vision is coming true…But why does it have to be Mission?_

Jake, however, was enraged at what the dark voice said to Bastila. _Don't you dare talk to her like that!_ He shouted, but what he didn't realize was that his rage was fuelling the influence of the dark voice.

Mission, however, was reacting how one would expect. "Jake, whatever's going on, you don't have to do this! I'm your friend!"

"**You were NEVER my friend! You were just an annoying teenager with some very useful skills!" **Jake said, stepping purposefully toward Mission. "**The only reason you're alive now is because I was restricted by the Jedi code and the council's programming!"**

As Mission backed away from Jake, tears started streaking down her cheeks. "Please, don't. For the sake of what you were, don't do this!"

"**What I was is dead Mission. And soon, you will be too."** Jake said, taking another purposeful step toward Mission.

As Jake slowly walked toward Mission, she thought of all the people she would never see again. _Carth, Big Z, Juhani, Nawara…Someone help me!_ But no one was coming. The only thing that was coming was the menacing form of Jake Katarn, lightsaber brandished, with a desire to kill her. She couldn't run, being paralyzed with fear. But even if she could, she couldn't get far. Jake wielded the Force, and could stop her in her tracks.

"Revan please! Don't let the Dark Side control you! You can beat this!" Bastila pleaded with Jake. She didn't want Jake to lose himself like this, and she was doing her best to keep her promise.

_I wish I could, but I can't. _ Jake said, trying to send it through the bond, though it was closed to him. The dark voice had taken over, and was acting out his darkest desires, right before his eyes. And there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Through the tears, Mission saw Jake raise his lightsaber into a stabbing position. The last thing she saw was the blade thrust toward her forehead.


	13. Consequences

The dark voice deactivated Jake's lightsaber and retreated into the recesses of Jake's mind, leaving Jake to deal with the repercussions of its actions. **_This'll push him into my hands._** The dark voice thought, though it couldn't have been farther than the truth.

Jake looked down at Mission's cooling body, and realized what happened. "Mission…please don't be dead…" He said, reaching down to touch her body. But he knew she was dead. The gaping hole in her head was proof of that. Jake touched her lekku, and felt how cold it was. Tears began streaking down his face, as he wept for his loss of control. Sure, he never liked Mission, but he never wanted to kill her. But in the eyes of others, it didn't matter that a dark voice took control of him…It was still his body that did the deed, and that's all anyone would see. That's all he saw.

"I'm sorry Mission…I didn't want this to happen…" Jake sobbed out, but making excuses wouldn't make him feel better, and it surely wasn't going to bring her back. Mission was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Revan…" Bastila said, but she could find no other words. She too was shocked at Jake's actions, even though she was corrupted by the Dark Side. Apparently, the Dark Side hadn't corrupted her as thoroughly as she thought.

"We should get out of here. I really don't want to be at the scene of the crime." Jake said. He he stood up and started to walk away, when Bastila spoke up.

"Shouldn't we take her body to the authorities? They'll at least give the people who care about her the chance to give her a proper funeral." She said.

"They'll also ask questions. We don't want that." Jake said.

"Don't we? How else will the Yuthura, Juhani and Jolee know its time to stop us?" Bastila said. "We alert the authorities to what we've done, and then leave. From there, we can follow through with your death wishes."

"You're right," Jake said, scooping Mission's lifeless body into his arms. "Lets go."

Hours later, Canderous and HK-47 returned to the Ebon Hawk to find Jake sitting in his quarters, his forehead buried in his knees.

"What's wrong Revan?" Canderous asked. Who answered, however, was not someone he expected.

Bastila made herself visible to Canderous before speaking. "He's finally gone over the edge. He found Mission Vao and….killed her." She said.

"Bastila?" Canderous said. He was surprised to see her, but not shocked. The Force could do a lot of strange things, and allowing a woman three years dead to appear before his eyes was very likely. "I thought you were…"

"Dead?" Bastila said, finishing Canderous' sentence. "Very much so, but we've got no time for explanations. We need to get off planet, and we need to do it now. Once we're in hyperspace, I'll tell you what you need to know."

"What about him?" Canderous asked.

"He's in no condition to do anything. Now hurry, we don't have a lot of time. Set in the coordinates for Rakata Prime. I'll tend to Revan." Bastila said. She watched as Canderous shrugged, then turned around and headed off toward the cockpit. As Canderous made the preparations to take off, Bastila sat down next to Jake.

"Oh, Revan, why'd it have to be Mission? Why couldn't it be someone we didn't know?" She said.

"You say that like I had a choice. You heard him. His dark gravely voice, the anger and hate permeating from his voice. Especially when he yelled at you." Jake said. "And with Mission being the only flaw in my armor against him, he could easily break through my defenses and take over."

"But why Mission? She was like a little sister to me!" Bastila exclaimed.

"OH, so you want to know why she was a kink in my 'dark voice' armor! Well, here it is!" Jake shouted. This line of questioning was really starting to anger him, and he really didn't want to talk about it. "Mission was an annoying little teenager from the moment I met her! Oh, she may have tried to put off an 'I'm independent and strong' front, but I saw through her like transparisteel. She was a needy little schutta who say us as a surrogate family!"

"But, didn't you see the rest of the crew the same way?" Bastila asked.

"No. I saw them as friends and comrades in arms, nothing more. Look, I really don't want to talk about this right now. The dark voice is creeping up again, playing at that weakness. I need to rebuild my walls around him, and I can't do it if we continue to talk about Mission." Jake said. Bastila took the hint, and headed out toward the map room.

As Bastila came into the map room, she saw that Canderous was waiting for her.

"Now, would you mind telling me just what the _shabla_ is going on here?" He yelled.

"Revan has lost his battle with his demons and killed an innocent. We needed to get off the planet quickly so we wouldn't get shot down." Bastila said.

"Was there any reason he killed an innocent? Like provoking a Jedi into fighting him?" Canderous asked. Even though Jake had given himself to the Dark Side, he still kept to an honor code that helped him keep most of who he was before. Canderous doubted that Jake would deviate from that honor code unless he had a damn good reason for it.

"No." Bastila said, smashing Canderous' hopes. "Shortly after we parted ways, Revan saw Mission Vao. As soon as he saw her, the dark voice inside his head started attacking him right then and there…." Bastila said, recounting the story. When she got to the end, she saw pity on Canderous' face.

And with good reason. Canderous had looked up to Jake, both as Revan and now. As Revan, for his skills as a strategist and superior fighting capabilities, and now, for his even more superior fighting skills. And both of them had a great conviction to their cause. Both would have made fine Mandalorians, had they not been Jedi. _To have fallen so far to throw away your honor like that…_

Bastila quickly snapped Canderous out of his reverie. "Canderous, stay with me. We need to help him in his preparation for his final battle." Bastila said. "Do you remember the talk you two had?" Canderous nodded. "Well, he wants that battle on the top of the Temple of the Ancients of Rakata Prime."

"How are we going to get the Jedi there?" Canderous asked.

"We took Mission's body to the authorities, and told them what he had done, so soon, the Jedi council will know. And with Revan's request to Jolee, only those three will be sent." Bastila said.

**Coruscant…**

With in a day, word had reached the Jedi Council about what happened on Corellia, and Juhani, Jolee and Yuthura were called to the Jedi council. When all three had gathered, they walked into the council chamber together.

And right in to the shouting of Master Vrook.

"Do you have anything to say in his defense now?" Vrook yelled. "He's killed an innocent, and one of his former friends!"

"And that's exactly what we're going to stop him." Yuthura said. "As was agreed upon two months ago."

"And how can you be sure you'll be able to beat him? He's a far better fighter than Revan was!" Atris shot back at Yuthura.

"Look, we're not here to debate this. We're here because you wanted to notify us of what Jake did." Jolee said. "You've done that, and now, we've got a job to do."

"I would expect nothing less from Jolee Bindo." Vrook said.

But Jolee had already turned around, and was almost out the door before a familiar voice rang out.

"I understand your irritation Jolee, but we're worried about the three of you." The familiar voice said. As Jolee turned around, he noticed a face that wasn't there the last time he was in the council chambers; Master Vandar. "We just want to know if you are sure you can defeat Jake."

"Completely. Jake may have lost it, but I still believe some of what he was is still in there. Why else would he have admitted to his crime and carried her body to the police?" Jolee said.

"He could be taunting us. We should send every Knight we have at him. He must be stopped!" Atris demanded.

"But Juhani and I are the only ones who know where he's going. And we're not about to give that to anyone that Jake doesn't want knowing." Jolee said.

"You arrogant…" Vrook started, but was cut off by Vandar.

"Peace, Vrook. The decision was made two months ago. There is nothing to debate." Vandar said. He turned his attention back to Jolee. "All we want is for you three to be careful. Good luck, and may the Force be with you."

As Jolee, Yuthura and Juhani left the council chamber and headed toward the hanger, Yuthura spoke up.

"So, where are we going?" She asked.

"Rakata Prime. We destroyed the Star Forge there, and we believe that he will return there. Other than the _Ebon Hawk_'s crew, only Vandar knows of its location." Juhani said. She was concerned about what this mission meant for her, but she decided to keep her mind focused for the time being.

Suddenly, Yuthura remembered something Jake gave her. She checked her pockets, and surprisingly, found the holocube. "Before we leave, Jake wanted us to watch this. We should look at it once we get to the docks."

30 minutes later, when everyone was safely aboard the _Cathar Knight_, Yuthura activated the holocube. It flickered on, and showed Jake standing there, without his coat on, in just his shirt, pants and boots, with both his lightsabers hanging off his belt.

"If you're watching this, it means I've finally lost control." Holo-Jake said. "I don't know who is going to get ahold of this, so I'll say what I need to say to everyone."

Holo-Jake took a deep breath, and started in on his last words. "Jolee, I wanted to tell you I'm sorry. You were the grandfather I never knew, giving me the advice I needed, even if I didn't understand it at the time. You helped me stay on track after Bastila was captured, and for that, I am grateful. Juhani, I know how much you adore me," Holo-Jake said, grinning slightly, "both for what I did as Revan and what I did as Jake Katarn. I tried setting the best example I could be, to be the best Jedi, and later redeemed Revan, I could be, and I'm truly sorry about after the Star Forge.

Carth, you were the one person I could count on from the beginning. You've known me as who I am the longest, and accepted me, even after finding out I was Revan. And that meant a lot to me. If you could forgive me, maybe, just maybe, so could the rest of the galaxy. But that's pretty much a moot point now, isn't it?" Holo-Jake said with a chuckle. "Zaalbar, you may have given me your skills because of the Wookiee life debt, but after helping you free your people, I earned your trust. And I'm sorry I had to break it this way." Holo-Jake sighed, and lowered his head." And Mission… I have a feeling that Mission won't be around to see this. Whether she's killed in the crossfire or….. I do it myself, I have a feeling that Mission will be dead. And for that, I am truly sorry. Especially to Carth and Zaalbar. You two had a special bond with her, either from Zaalbar's friendship or Carth's fatherly desire to look out for her, you both have a reason to mourn her. Canderous already knows how I feel, given the fact that he travels with me.

And Yuthura, I've saved you for last because I've got a special request of you. I want you to be the one to give me the final blow. You're the only one I can trust to do this. I can't trust Juhani to do it, because of how she feels about me, and Jolee won't be able to kill me. He knows it, and I know it. But you, you used to be a Sith. You know that redemption isn't possible unless someone wants to be redeemed. But, I can't be redeemed. The Jedi council won't allow that. To them, I am a mistake. One with way too much power at my disposal. And, if you bring me back, there's only one thing they could do; since they won't kill their prisoners, they'll have to do a complete mind wipe, wiping away all of Jake Katarn and Revan, and cut me completely off from the Force, like Nomi Sunrider did to Ulic Qel-Droma.

I know I've put you three in a hot spot, and for that, I am again sorry. But I trust you'll give my wish, and give me the most honorable end you can give me."

As the holo flickered off, Yuthura looked up and saw Juhani's eyes filled up with tears, and Jolee holding them back the best he could. She realized at that moment that Jake meant more to them then he ever would to her, and that's why she had to be the one to kill him. At that moment, she made a vow that whatever happened, no matter what emotions came up, no matter what Jolee or Juhani said, she would give Jake what he desired.

She would give him his end.


	14. Final Meeting

Canderous put the _Ebon Hawk_ outside the Temple of the Ancients. He knew that he couldn't enter that building, so once Jake entered that building, he would probably never see him again, unless he won. If that situation came to be, no one would be able to stop him, but Canderous would do everything he could to stop him, even if it violated the Code of the Mandalore.

As Jake prepared himself for quite possibly his last moments as a living man, many things came to mind. The dark voice had not attacked him since the Mission incident, and he didn't know why. Was it gathering its strength for one final strike during his last battle? Jake hoped not. He really wanted to meet his end with honor, and that voice would cloud things.

Bastila was also strangely quiet. _She's still in shock over what I did to Mission._ Jake thought. But he had seen her crying every day since that day. And through those tears, he saw shades of the woman he fell in love with. She was still very beautiful, even as a ghost. And she still had her blue eyes that he could gaze into for hours.

Bastila also got introspective. For all this time, she thought the Dark Side finally rid her of the weakness she had as a Jedi, but now, she wasn't so sure. _The Dark Side had an actual voice in his head, where it only corrupted my thoughts. If I'd have been as unstable as he is, could that have happened to me?_ Bastila thought. _If I'd have been in his situation, all the power in the world wouldn't have been worth the Dark Side screaming at me._

Canderous had been thinking a lot about what he needed to say to Jake, but the only things he could think of sounded good in Mando'a, and Jake only knew a few phrases and most of the swear words, which was not nearly enough for Canderous to convey what needed to be said. He would have to use the basic translation of what he wanted to say, even though it sounded wrong to his ears.

As Jake was about to walk up the ramp to the Temple, Canderous decided that now was the time to say his piece.

"Jake, _ner vod, _I want you to know that fighting beside you has been the greatest experience of my life, and I would never trade those experiences for the galaxy. Because of you, I regained the pride that I lost at the end of the Mandalorian Wars. You will always be spoken of in the highest regard among my people, and I will make sure your story is told completely, the good and the bad and let history judge you accordingly." Canderous said.

_Ner vod…_ Jake thought. _One of the few Mando'a phrases I know. He called me "My Brother"._ "Thank you Canderous. And before I go, I have a gift for you." Jake said. "HK-47, transfer ownership to Canderous Ordo." The droid powered down for a second, and came back up again, with the changes made. "He's yours now, as well as T3. Do with them what you wish. I have no need for droids where I'm going."

Juhani set down the _Cathar Knight _out side the Temple as well, across the field from the _Ebon Hawk_. And as they got closer to the ground, she saw Canderous and HK-47 standing at the base of the ramp. Once they got closer, however, they saw something different about Canderous. His armor was polished, and so where his weapons. The same thing with HK-47.

While Canderous stood there, doing his best to honor his soon to be fallen comrade, HK-47 was getting restless. He was not pleased with being handed off like a handful of credits, but this was a little better than shutting down once his master was killed.

"Query: The Jedi are coming Master. Should I initiate assassination protocols and terminate the meatbags?" The psychotic droid asked.

"These are the people that are going to give Revan his honorable end, so no. And if I ever find someone with the programming knowledge, I'm going to have your psychotic tendencies removed, and have you relegated to bodyguard duties to my family." Canderous said.

That frightened the droid. "Statement: Master, you aren't seriously contemplating this…are you?" HK-47 pleaded.

"I would be, if you continue to get on my nerves." Canderous said. "And don't forget, I am a Mandalorian. There will always be battle in my life, whether I'm traveling across the galaxy or, as Revan suggested, starting a family and raising Mandalorian children, there will always be something for you to shoot."

That put HK-47 at ease as the Jedi walked up to them.

To say that Juhani was happy to see Canderous would be like saying that a Wookiees wore clothes; it was the farthest thing from the truth.

"Mandalorian," Juhani said, with contempt on her breath.

"Juhani," Canderous said, in a respectful tone. The Cathar was a fine warrior after all, and Canderous respected that.

"So, what's the situation?" Jolee asked.

"Right to the point I see." Canderous said. "Revan has gone to the top of the temple, where only one who can feel the Force can follow. He also has something he wants to give you before the battle." He then turned his attention to the Twi'lek standing near him. "And who's this?"

"I am Yuthura Ban, the Sith Master that was saved from the Dark Side by Jake. He asked me to be the one to strike the final blow." Yuthura said.

"For my people, that would be the greatest honor. To aid in the end of the greatest warrior the galaxy has ever known…" Canderous said before being cut off by Juhani.

"The Jedi don't subscribe to your honor code, Mandalorian." She said.

"Juhani, I know you don't like me because of what the Mandalorians did to your people, but your issues with me don't have a place right now. You're here because of Revan. You need to do something I'm not even capable of. I've killed Jedi, both in ship to ship battles and in melee combat, but not one was even as remotely as powerful as Revan." Canderous said.

"He's right," Jolee said. "We can't waste any more time. We need to get to the top of that temple and stop Jake once and for all." Yuthura and Juhani both agreed and all three headed into the Temple.

Jake Katarn sat at the top of the Temple, waiting for his friends to come. He was dressed differently than he had been for the past three years. Gone was the armor he wore, replaced with the only set of Dark Jedi robes he could find that fit him. He didn't wear then because he was embracing his darkness, however. He wore them because he was mourning the death of Mission Vao. Her death had a greater effect on him than he thought it would, so much so that it silenced the dark voice. He was not thinking clearly for the first time in a year and a half. He also wore a dark cape, with a hood that he currently had up, shielding his eyes from the harsh sun. He sat there like that, meditating for four hours before being brought to his senses by Bastila.

"They're here." Bastila said, and Jake was moving immediately. He dropped his hood, and as he stood up, he took the lightsabers off his belt and activated them. The violet and yellow light from the lightsabers created a strange lighting on the floor below him.

Jolee, Juhani and Yuthura entered the roof with no trouble, and immediately saw Jake standing where Bastila stood three years earlier, when Jolee, Juhani and Jake met her before heading off to destroy the Star Forge. Jolee found it ironic that Jake was doing the same thing that Bastila did at Jake's darkest moment in what would become their darkest moment very soon. Yuthura had a grim determination on her face, knowing that she would do what she had to do. Juhani, however, was an emotional wreck. She knew she had to do this, but she didn't want to. She loved him, something she was only able to admit upon seeing him now. She wanted him to come back to the light, and live out his days with her in peace. But she knew that was only a dream. Jake's heart belonged to Bastila, in the past, present and foreseeable future.

Jake watched as his friends entered the roof, with their lightsabers deactivated. "I'm glad you all came, though this isn't how I wanted things to end up." Jake said, grinning slightly. _It's finally time._

"Jake, we don't have to do this. You can return to the light, and avoid this senseless battle!" Juhani pleaded with him.

"I've wondered ever since I killed Mission if you three would care enough to say that. And for that Juhani, I thank you." Jake said. Juhani almost got up a smile before all her hopes were destroyed. "But I cannot find peace in life. Killing Jedi and Sith didn't do it. The way of the Jedi didn't do it. And even memories of my supposed 'life' doesn't do it. The only way I can find peace is to die."

"Canderous said you wanted to give us something." Yuthura said, trying to keep Juhani from falling into a depression and inhibiting her combat prowess. "What is it?"

"Any of you heard of a 'death song'?" Jake asked. Using the Force, Jake pulled a small holocube out of his cape. "It's a Deralian custom where, when you know you're going to die before your time, you create a song to show how you want to be remembered." He floated the cube toward Jolee. "And yes, I checked. It's a real Deralian custom."

"So, what's your song?" Jolee said.

"Turn it on and see." Jake said.

Jolee activated the holocube, an saw Jake sitting in the middle of a room, with an electronic instrument with the ability to make a large amount of music at once.

"Jolee, Juhani, Yuthura, this song is called 'Dream On.'

_every time that I look in the mirror  
all these lines on my face getting clearer   
the past is gone  
it went by like dusk to dawn  
isn't that the way  
everybody's got their dues in life to pay_

_yeah, I know nobody knows  
where it comes and where it goes  
I know it's everybody's sin  
you got to lose to know how to win_

_half my life's in books' written pages  
live and learn from fools and from sages  
you know it's true  
all the things come back to you _

_sing with me, sing for the years  
sing for the laughter and sing for the tears  
sing with me, if it's just for today   
maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away_

_dream on, dream on, dream on,  
dream yourself a dream come true  
dream on, dream on, dream on,  
and dream until your dream comes true   
dream on_

_dream on_

_dream on_

_dream on_

_dream on_

_dream on_

_dream on"_

Jake grinned slightly at the reaction he got from his friends from his song. "I'll give you a few minutes to compose yourselves, but then, we will do battle." He said.

Slowly, each Jedi got ahold of themselves in their own way. Yuthura remembered the vow she made that day. Jolee realized that getting like this was disrespectful to Jake. But Juhani, who was an emotional wreck when she started, so was no worse off. Each activated their lightsaber, and dropped into their combat stance.

Jake grinned, and dropped into his stance. He held Bastila's lightsaber out, parallel to the ground, and his own above his head, perpendicular to Bastila's lightsaber. He bend his right knee, and let his left knee slide forward. He turned his head so he could see his friends, because his body was sideways from them.

"Lets do this." Jake said.

**Author's note:** Dream On is written by Aerosmith, off the "Aerosmith" album. Copyright 1973 Columbia Records.


	15. The Death of a Hero

The four combatants stood at ready for what seemed like hours, but really stood only a few minutes. Though they all knew that the battle had to start, no one wanted to initiate it. Everyone was sweating from the heat given off by the Rakatan sun, beating down on the temple top. It was almost as if they were waiting for a signal to attack.

That signal came in a droplet is sweat hitting the ground. Jake rushed in with all three lightsaber blades ignited and, with a downward slash from his single bladed lightsaber, struck at Juhani. Juhani was barely able to get her lightsaber up to defend herself. "You really need to resolve yourself to fight me Juhani, or I will kill you." Jake said.

In the time Jake took to taunt Juhani, Yuthura and Jolee were able to get behind Jake and took that opportunity to attack. Jake, however, was able to raise Bastila's lightsaber to block their blows. Using the Force, Jake threw his opponents away from him. He straightened himself out, and took the opportunity to crack the muscles in his neck. "Good idea attacking me from behind, but people have done that before. Your best bet is to attack me at the same time." Jake said. He looked at Juhani. "All three of you. And even though you don't want to, you have to fight with the intent to kill me, because that's the only way to wear me down."

"You fight as though you want to survive, but you tell us ways to defeat you." Yuthura said as she stood up. "Your words and your actions do not fit."

"As I said last time I saw you, I am incapable of just letting someone kill me." Jake said. "The Jedi council programmed me with too high a self preservation instinct."

"You can move faster than this Jake. I've seen it." Jolee said as he stood up. "You're holding back because we're your friends."

"Yes. I don't want to kill you, but I will fight like it if you don't give me everything you've got." Jake said. "Only then can I get some peace."

_Peace…_ Juhani thought as she stood up. _The only times I ever truly felt peace was when I was around you. Whether it was on Taris, when you rescued me from slavery, or on Dantooine, or during the times I followed you around the surface of a planet, I always felt peace in your presence. And you say the only way you'll find peace is in death? How?_ "How can you find peace in death?" Juhani yelled. Tears started streaming down her face with those words.

"Because my reason for living is gone… and I don't want her to be alone either. My life has been a torturous existence since the Star Forge. I don't want redemption. I don't want someone else. I just want to rest." Jake said. "Don't you see Juhani? Your wishes, they would only cause me more pain. You aren't Bastila, no matter how much you want to take her place. I don't want to live if I have to use you as a substitute. It's unfair to you, it's unfair to Bastila, and it's unfair to me."

Juhani wiped the tears from her eyes, and did her best to regain her composure. "You're right. Forgive my display." She said.

"I know this is hard for you Juhani, but this is just as hard for Jolee and Yuthura as well. I'm sure that Jolee sees me as a disobedient son, and Yuthura is in the position of having to deal the final blow. Both of them are going through a lot right now. Is it fair to them for you to break down like you have?" Jake asked.

Juhani looked over at Jolee and Yuthura, and saw that they too, were barely holding it together. Juhani chastised herself for breaking down like that, because her comrades were dealing with the same things she was. _I've never been very good as mastering my emotions, but that's no excuse._ She thought, as she pulled herself together.

"Just remember this guys, you're not doing this 'to' me, you're doing this 'for' me. I can't do this myself, so I need your help to end this." Jake said.

Juhani, Jolee and Yuthura all nodded. Using the Force, they all enhanced their perceptions and senses, and strengthened their bodies. And then, they attacked Jake simultaneously.

Bastila was watching the battle from the sidelines, and was silently smiling at what she was seeing. Jake no longer struggled with the dark voice, or any of the Dark Side temptation for that matter. It was almost like he was fighting for the joy of fighting. Yes, the Dark Side was still present, but it no longer held any sway. For every strike, for every parry, for every Force-enhanced movement, she felt the Dark Side energies drifting away.

She too felt the Dark Side drifting away from herself. _So, this is how our redemption will take place._ Bastila thought. _With a battle with Jedi who aren't corrupted by the flawed teachings of the current Jedi council._

_We'll never be completely free of the Dark Side as long as I live, Bastila._ Jake sent through the bond. _Only when I am dead can we be together again._ And Bastila agreed. Whatever fate dealt them, as long as they were together to face it, she would be happy.

The battle lasted for an hour, neither side relenting. The deadly dance of lightsabers, Force abilities and bodies moved with an inhuman grace. Yuthura and Juhani, the warrior focused Jedi, were using all of their knowledge of the Force to enhance their natural combat abilities so they could fight longer and hit harder. Jolee, however, was focusing on passively enhancing himself and his companions, giving them enhanced endurance and constitution. Jake too used the Force to enhance himself, but even without the Dark Side abilities he knew that would injure his opponents, he was still in a far better position than his opponents.

Yuthura knew she had to find an opening in Jake's defense if she was going to disable him, but at the moment, couldn't find one. His ability to fight with three lightsaber blades was unlike anything she had ever seen, even among the Sith. Jake was the most skilled combatant she had ever seen in her life as both a Jedi and a Sith. The speed of his lightsabers, his movements were only seen among the Jedi and Sith warrior classes, the Jedi Weapon Masters and Sith Marauders.

The battle continued to rage, until Jolee made a mistake. He had made an error in his defense, and Jake took advantage of it. He parried Jolee's lightsaber, and used the opportunity to stab Jolee in the thigh. Jolee howled in pain, dropping his lightsaber. Jake removed the end of Bastila's lightsaber, and Jolee crumpled to the ground.

"I told you that you needed to take this seriously. Fight me like you intend to kill me!" Jake yelled at Yuthura and Juhani. He looked down at Jolee. "Don't worry, you'll live. But, since I've disabled you, you three are down a lightsaber." Jake deactivated one side of Bastila's lightsaber. "There, that's a little more fair."

Juhani and Yuthura looked at each other, and then looked back at Jake. They realized that Jake would pull no punches, and expected the same from them. They rushed in, being careful of their guard. Jake was the best warrior they had ever seen, and they would have to fight with the best of their abilities.

Jolee crawled away from the battle, and used the Force to ease the pain. The lightsaber had gone straight through his leg, leaving a gaping hole where muscle, bone and flesh should be. The wound, while not fatal, had stopped him from continuing to fight. That didn't mean he wouldn't continue to help his friends. Blocking out the pain, Jolee closed his eyes and concentrated on enhancing Juhani and Yuthura's endurance. And with the way they were fighting, they were going to burn out any minute. Jake, on the other hand, was pacing himself far better than the women. So, Jolee would do all he could to help Juhani and Yuthura last.

Jake knew what Jolee was doing, however. If this had been any other battle, Jake would have electrocuted Jolee with Force Lightning for getting involved in a battle that he was no longer a part of. But Jake wanted Jolee to interfere, so Yuthura and Juhani wouldn't get tired out before he did.

Eventually, Juhani made a mistake. She had left her sword hand open, allowing Jake to sever her hand right from her wrist. Juhani staggered back, reeling from the shock. Yuthura took that opportunity to parry the double bladed lightsaber out of his hand.

As Juhani staggered back toward Jolee, pressing her arm against her chest, as Jake commented on Yuthura's action. "Good. You pressed the attacked and disarmed one of my weapons. You made your judgment without emotion, like a true Jedi should."

"Didn't you call the Jedi teachings 'flawed'?" Yuthura asked, staying in her ready stance.

"I did. But even through all the flawed teachings, someone like yourself, Jolee and Juhani come around, giving me hope that the Jedi can come around one day." Jake said, grinning slightly. "But I've talked enough for today. Its time to end this." Jake took the single bladed combat stance he had used during the Jedi Civil War, and prepared himself to charge.

Juhani was shocked at what Jake had done to her. She would never in a million years have thought that Jake would have severed her hand, but he did. She never thought Jake would stab Jolee through the leg, but he did it. It almost seemed like Jake was trying to weed them out, to make this a one on one confrontation with Yuthura, which the battle had become.

The battle picked up pace tremendously. The speed, the power of Jake's movements were countered by the grace and speed of Yuthura. While not as strong as Jake, Yuthura wasted no energy in her fighting style, more elegant than brutal. Jake fueled his strikes with his anger and hatred of the Jedi, and Yuthura countered with the calmness and serenity of a true Jedi.

The lightsabers clashed repeatedly and violently, neither side neither relenting nor giving any quarter. This battle would not be decided by force alone, but by which side made a mistake first. And Yuthura had been studying Jake's movements the entire battle. Each time a lightsaber blade had been removed, a larger gap in Jake's guard appeared, but only momentarily, after each swing. With three lightsaber blades, Jake covered all vital points, and no one could touch his hands. When he deactivated one side after stabbing Jolee, there were small, almost insignificant openings in Jake's guard happened just before he threw Yuthura and Juhani away. And now, with only one lightsaber blade, that opening was easy to see, but Yuthura hadn't figured out how to capitalize on it. Until Jake charged at her. The weakness happened after a charge, after Yuthura dodged. Until now, she didn't know how to approach it. Normally, she would deflect the blade, and press her attack, but by the time she could get to the weakness, Jake had enough time to dodge.

This time, Yuthura would do something different. She would dodge, but only enough to get out of the lightsaber's path, and strike at his weak point.

Jake grinned slightly when he saw Yuthura figure out how to beat him. But, instead of changing his tactics like he usually would, he continued with what he was doing. Jake brought the blade down full force, and watched Yuthura dodge to his left, and stabbed him right in his shoulder. Jake winced in pain, as the lightsaber fell out of his hand.

Yuthura used the Force to pull the lightsaber blade toward her and into her hand. She activated Jake's lightsaber, and placed the blades at his neck, giving them the form of an open pair of scissors. Jake quietly knelt down, and calmly awaited his fate. He looked up at Yuthura, and said only two words; "Thank you." And then, almost as if those two words were her cue, Yuthura brought the bladed together and beheaded Jake.

"I hope you've found peace, my friend." Yuthura said. And, as she said that, a single tear streaked down her face.

* * *

Jake Katarn found himself in an open field, with the greenest grass he had ever seen. The sky above him was the perfect shade of blue, with only a few clouds in the sky. There was a forest to the south of him, and a mountain range to the north. He didn't know where he was, but maybe, finally, he could find peace.

"Revan!" Jake heard from behind him. He turned around to see Bastila running toward him, with something he hadn't seen on her in three years; color.

Bastila dove into Jake's arms, and found that she could actually feel him. And he was warm. "I'm so glad you're here!" She said, with tears streaming down her face. For the first time in three years, she was happy.

Jake too, was happy, but for different reasons. Bastila's touch was warm, and he could finally return that touch. And there was something else as well.

"Bastila," Jake said, as he held her in his arms.

"What is it?" Bastila said. She was enjoying this moment, being held by the man she loves, and wanted it to last forever.

"I'm whole." Jake said. "I remember everything. I'm Jake Katarn and I'm Revan."

"That's wonderful!" Bastila said. "But what does that mean for us?"

"Nothing." Jake said. He looked up at the sky, and smiled. "It's a new world for us. And here, we finally get the peace we've deserved for a long time."

THE END.

**Author's Note: **What a wild ride, huh? I'd like to take the opportunity to thank the people who've had an impact on this story. I want to thank George Lucas, for without him, there would be no Star Wars. I want to thank Bioware, for rekindling an obsession that was dieing down. Adria Teksuni, for creating KOTORfanfic, the site that started me on this story. Draxel, Vyperhand and Xenzen for inspiring me, and the crew that created and maintains KOTORfandedia. Also,the people that maintain this site, for not making me tone down my story to PG-13 level. And last, I want to thank my parents, who have supported my creativity throughout my formidable years.


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